IBTM World has announced that first-stage appointments for exhibitors are up 7 per cent against last year, with over 3,500 more business meetings booked than at this stage in 2017. The meetings have been facilitated using the company’s technically advanced appointment system which pairs exhibitor and buyer preferences to ensure that meetings are arranged between people with whom there is a very good chance of doing business.

Commenting on the news, David Thompson, Exhibition Director, said: “Ultimately, most of our visitors come to us because they trust us to facilitate great business meetings. The first round of appointment matching is a critical stage for us, as it sets the scene for a productive event, so we’re delighted to announce such positive numbers at this early stage in the process. This, combined with the high calibre of Hosted Buyers and an exciting exhibitor mix, point to the event being another great success for our attendees.” 

49 per cent of Hosted Buyers are attending the event for the first time this year, up 5 per cent on 2017, which gives exhibitors significant opportunity to do business with brand new contacts and companies. Buyers will be present from organisations including Moet Hennessy, Netflix, Bayer US, Diageo, Delta Air Lines – Worldwide Meetings and Events, Motorola, Peugeot Sport, MIA Comunicacion (WALMART), Inter IKEA, InfoWatch, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Procter & Gamble, Siemens Ltd. and SONY.

IBTM has recently announced that as well as some exceptional returning brands, this year an exciting portfolio of first-time exhibitors will be at the Barcelona event, including Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), Tourism Promotion Board Philippines, Tourism New Zealand, Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism, SIXT GmbH & Co., Global Passenger Network, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. and Standard Hotels.
 
In 2017 IBTM World welcomed almost 3,000 exhibiting companies from over 150 countries, 3,463 buyers and thousands of visitors for a packed schedule of meetings, networking and educational sessions. Over 74,000 pre-scheduled meetings between exhibitors and buyers were arranged over the three days.

For all media enquiries, additional comment and request for interview please contact:
Becca Krug, Nancy Cremore, Andra Miclaus or Evie Kennedy at davies tanner Tel: +44 (0)1892 619100 ibtmPR@DaviesTanner.com