This year, The Meetings Show attracted 721 hosted buyers – a 67% increase on 2013 – from 35 countries, with 80% of hosted buyers attended for two or more days.
Analysis conducted by The Meetings Show into its hosted buyer programme has shown that both hosted buyers and exhibitors see real value in its offering.
This year, The Meetings Show attracted 721 hosted buyers – a 67% increase on 2013 – from 35 countries, with 80% of hosted buyers attended for two or more days. Hosted buyers made more than 10,000 pre-scheduled appointments with many more arranging additional meetings onsite.
As a result of their attendance at The Meetings Show, 78% of hosted buyers said they were planning on placing business with exhibitors they met.
Hosted buyers came from internationally recognised organisations such as Boots, BP, Sony, Unilever, Dell, Cisco, Nationwide and American Express as well as renowned agencies such as Zibrant, Banks Sadler, drp Group, MCI and Concerto.
Gerald Hampel, Senior Venue Finder at Yellow Meeting in Paris, commented: “I fundamentally believe in the event’s format, particularly the hosted buyer benefits. I appreciate the flexible nature of the event as it allows time to discover new suppliers and gain inspiration from the education programme.”
Stephane Schlecht, Congress Travel and Event Manager at Sanofi Pasteur MSD, added: “This event is ideal. It is comfortable and offers a great way to get close to the exhibitors. The logistics were well organised and in particular the lounges and onsite facilities have been superb – far better than any other show I have visited.”
“I’m a first time hosted buyer and I’ve been made to feel like a real VIP,” commended Deb Jowett of Outsourced Events. “The lounges are fabulous and I’ve been gathering information about new and existing suppliers to feed back to the team. The central location has made it very easy for me, and having so many contacts under one roof has been a very effective use of my time.”
Event Director of The Meetings Show Steve Knight commented: “The hosted buyer programme has grown significantly and shows true value to both hosted buyers and exhibitors. The aim of The Meetings Show has always been to provide meeting industry professionals with the opportunity to build new connections and do business. Our analysis shows that as a direct result of attendance, buyers, of which more than 50% are from the UK, are placing business with exhibitors. Our plan is to expand the hosted buyer programme in 2015 so even more people can take advantage of the benefits it offers.”
Organised by Centaur Exhibitions, The Meetings Show is a major event for the UK inbound and outbound meetings industry, taking place 7-9 July 2015 at Olympia, London. Organised by meeting professionals for meeting professionals it is focused around a large exhibition, networking opportunities and professional education.
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