80% of the Hosted Buyers confirmed to attend ibtm arabia 2016 have a budget over $5 million; 90% organise conferences and meetings, 80% incentive travel, 71% business travel, and 59% luxury travel. Confirmed Hosted Buyers this year have also indicated a variety of product interests.
This year ibtm arabia 2016 will take place from 9th to 11th of February at The Jumeirah at Etihad Towers on the famous promenade of Abu Dhabi with views of the Arabian Gulf and Cityscape.
The Jumeirah is an iconic development showcasing some of the best meetings facilities that Abu Dhabi has to offer. The luxurious 5-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.
Shinu Pillai, Exhibition Manager, ibtm arabia, comments, “The industry in the Gulf region is growing and certainly Dubai 2020 is having an impact on international buyers looking to place business at ibtm arabia. But the focus of this event is about creating a community, providing a one-to-one ratio of buyer to supplier and to mutually match the appointments, which means both buyers and suppliers can select who they want to meet.
“ibtm arabia creates a true industry community, where participants stay in the same hotel and attend the same activities, from meetings to lunch, drinks to dinner. This enables genuine ongoing relationships to develop which leads to real business. ibtm events are not about the size of an event, it is about making that event 100% valuable to all attendees.”
ibtm arabia 2016 has seen an increase in the total number of buyers attending, as well as an increase in corporate and regional buyers. This year’s event will feature an impressive line up of new, fully Hosted Buyers, including Egyliere (Egypt), Helen Holidays (Egypt), Pomalo Travel (Jordan), Dakkak Holidays (Jordan), Piece of Cake (Lebanon), Belair Travel & Tourism (Lebanon), Kanoo Travel (Saudi Arabia), Allama Company (Saudi Arabia), Expotrade Global (UAE), Abbott (UAE) and QnA International (UAE).
All Hosted Buyers are handpicked, personally invited and verified against a strict qualification criteria, which requires that they are senior level decision makers with proven budget and business to place internationally. 80% of the Hosted Buyers confirmed to attend ibtm arabia 2016 have a budget over $5 million and organise a variety of events; 90% organise conferences and meetings, 80% incentive travel, 71% business travel, and 59% luxury travel. Confirmed Hosted Buyers this year have also indicated a variety of product interests: 88% indicated an interest in hotels, 80% in Destination Management Services, 66% in conferences/meeting venues, and 63% in attractions and entertainment.
ibtm arabia will also feature a number of new exhibitors, including Fairmont, Raffles & Swissotel Hotels & Resorts, Alpha Destination Management, Attikos Ilios S.A., Europe Hotel LLC, Golden Tours, Hill MICE Saudi Arabia and Movenpick Hotels & Resorts. All exhibitors at ibtm arabia will have access to the pre-scheduled appointment system, which gives exhibitors access to the world-class corporate, association, agency and incentive buyers at the show.
Exhibitors will be able to pre-schedule appointments with the Hosted Buyers that they identify as relevant to their business interests with a diary of up to thirty appointments. Last year saw over 3,000 appointments between Hosted Buyers and exhibitors at ibtm arabia, which we expect to increase in 2016.
The ibtm arabia 2016 experience will also include a ‘Discovery Day‘, combining a dedicated Knowledge Forum with networking and activities around Abu Dhabi which will invite buyers and exhibitors to discover the region and specifically its leading MICE products and services while enjoying exclusive networking events.
The Knowledge Forum will feature world-class keynote speaker, Carol Talbot, who sets out to empower professionals and help them think differently about their approach to work. Her objective is to support professionals towards creating and delivering a vision for themselves, which will ultimately accelerate them towards succeeding in this industry. Carol 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.
The combination of the pre-scheduled appointments and nine networking opportunities at ibtm arabia 2016 including Discovery Day, a Welcome Reception and Gala Evening ensures valuable touch points for everyone to help make meaningful connections.
Post show research from 2015 confirmed that 95% of both exhibitors and Hosted Buyers were satisfied with the event and the business they did. So, this year ibtm arabia plans to deliver the same experience, which will continue to deliver maximum return on investment for all suppliers and buyers participating.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
