ibtm arabia 2015 delivered more than 3,000 mutually matched and pre-selected appointments over the two days of business meetings. The combination of the pre-scheduled appointments and nine networking opportunities provided valuable touch points for everyone to help make meaningful connections.
The second edition of the event will take place from February 9 to 11 and promises to have more hosted buyers in attendance and an increase in quality business opportunities, says Shinu Pillai, exhibition manager – ibtm arabia, in an interview with TTN.What’s new at the second edition of ibtm arabia?This year we are delighted to confirm a number of exciting new developments with regards to the show. Firstly, there will be an increase in the total number of buyers attending. Further to this, we have witnessed a substantial increase in the number of hosted buyers from the Middle East, who have applied to attend. We’ve also seen an increase in the number of corporate buyers applying. That’s not all. We will be hosting 100 per cent of buyers who will be attending the show for the first time and there will be an exciting new Discovery Day packed with great sightseeing, education and networking. With regards to location, for 2016, we are delighted to confirm that we will be hosting our event at Jumeirah at Etihad Towers on the famous promenade of Abu Dhabi with views of the Arabian Gulf and Cityscape.Jumeirah at Etihad Towers is an iconic development showcasing some of the best meetings facilities that Abu Dhabi has to offer. The luxurious five-star hotel offers prestigious features such as exquisite hotel rooms, fine dining, a health club and Talise Spa and two levels of boutique shopping at the podium. The property will create the perfect setting for bringing together meetings industry professionals from across the globe.
Are you sticking to the same meeting pod format as last year? Yes. The format of 'meeting pods' is simple and time-efficient: there is no stand building, exhibitors just supply a graphic to illustrate their product and to brand their pod, and then they are ready for business. Ninety-five per cent of exhibitors confirmed that they were satisfied with last year’s event so this is a clear indicator that we should keep the same format for 2016.
Who are some of the new/first-time exhibitors this year?Some of the new names already attending as suppliers include: Fairmont, Raffles & Swissotel Hotels & Resorts, Alpha Destination Management, Attikos Ilios S.A., Europe Hotel LLC, Golden Tours, Hill Mice Saudi Arabia and Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts.
What are the expectations from this year’s event in terms of hosted buyers, exhibitors and attendees?The industry in the region is growing and certainly Dubai 2020 is having an impact on international buyers looking to place business. Will that have an effect on ibtm arabia? It is difficult to say because this new style event is about creating a community, providing a one-to-one ratio of buyer to supplier and to mutually matching the appointments, which mean both buyer and seller have to be compatible. ibtm events are not about the size of an event, it is about making that event 100 per cent valuable to all attendees.
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Shinu Pillai |
What are the Mice travel trends that you notice in the region? Clearly, there is motivation across the GCC to increase its share of the global Mice market. And the potential is certainly there. For example, a report from Alpen Capital suggests that international association meetings in the Middle East have more than tripled over the past 10 years.Supporting this statement, the last Amadeus report shows the GCC meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (Mice) industry is seeing continuous growth and that the Middle East is set to expand even further while attracting high-profile global events and state-of-the-art infrastructural investments. Dubai is now recognised as the Mice leader of the Middle East, dominating the $1.3 billion market with a leading market share. By 2020, Dubai is set to attract 16.5 to 18 million leisure visitors and 3 to 4 million business visitors. Of this figure, Mice visitors that currently equate to 0.9 million, are estimated to double to between 1.7 and 1.9 million; the remaining will be independent business travellers. TCA Abu Dhabi suggested that the Mice sector is currently generating $1.4 billion per annum for Abu Dhabi and is expected to reach $2.4 billion by 2020.
Will there be a Discovery Day this time around and inspiring lectures from industry professionals?Yes, the ibtm arabia experience will include a ‘Discovery Day’, combining a dedicated Knowledge Forum with networking and activities around Abu Dhabi which will invite buyers to discover the Middle East and specifically the region’s leading Mice products and services. We’ve got a really great keynote speaker lined up for the Knowledge Forum. Carol Talbot, a world-class motivational speaker sets out to empower people and help them think differently about their approach to work. Her objective is to support people towards creating and delivering a vision for themselves, which will ultimately accelerate them towards succeeding in this industry.Talbot will highlight the difference between those who attract success and those that don’t. She will also share some of her top leadership tactics, which will provide attendees with useful tips around how to influence people.
What was the feedback from last year’s event and what were the main learnings?Post-show research confirmed the event to be a huge success with 95 per cent of both exhibitors and hosted buyers saying they were satisfied with the event and the business they did. Like its sister ibtm america, ibtm arabia has created a true industry community, where participants stay in the same hotel and attend the same activities, from meetings to lunch, drinks to dinner. It’s about working hard and playing hard too to develop genuine relationships and real business.Feedback from last year’s event also confirmed that the mutual matching of appointments really contributed towards the effectiveness of meetings. This year, we plan to deliver the same experience, which will continue to deliver maximum return on investment for all suppliers and buyers participating. Here is a selection of some of the comments we received about the event last year:Zdenek Giormani, director of the Czech Convention Bureau, was delighted with the new concept. 'It’s a good way to do business, it’s more personal, I prefer it and the value of my meetings has also been very good.'Lee Ford, head of operations for QNCC said: 'It’s been excellent for us, we have some very strong leads and a very positive response. It’s also been great for networking, no time wasters, even with other exhibitors, we have been able to catch up on everything going on in the Mice industry in this region, I am sure we will be back.' Nicoletta Paphitou, Cyprus Convention Bureau, added to the enthusiasm of exhibitors. 'I think this is the most effective exhibition that I have every participated in.' Carole O’Connor, Marketing Mice Division for Rovos Rail in South Africa, added that the value to her company was outstanding. 'This has been a very different event. Chic, classy, sophisticated, I love the way it has been put together. We have had good quality appointments and two very interesting incentive opportunities – of course we will be back.'Marwan Haddad, director of sales and marketing for Marriott Doha, said that the new appointment system and the fact that the event was 'closed' to trade visitors worked well. 'This has worked! The appointment set up where everyone moves after 15 minutes was right. The mutual match was also perfect and we have had concrete enquiries – we will be back next year.' Ronar Nammour from Iktissadevents, UAE, was a hosted buyer for the first time. 'It’s been very helpful to my business. We work for corporates as well as the public and government sectors and I am sure we are going to generate business. We are looking for opportunities for our clients in Europe including Spain and Switzerland as well as the GCC, many contacts I had not been able to reach, but I have now met with in person!