International and regional meeting and event planners can now apply to attend as Hosted Buyers by filling out an application online. Successful applicants will receive a diary of up to 30 pre-scheduled, mutually matched 1-to-1 appointments with leading suppliers.
ibtm america 2016, taking place from June 15-17 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, has announced a number of developments for the upcoming programme including applications for Hosted Buyers going live, new topics and speakers for the ibtm america Knowledge Forum, networking events, and programmes for exhibitors.
International and regional meeting and event planners can now apply to attend as Hosted Buyers by filling out an application online. Successful applicants will receive a diary of up to 30 pre-scheduled, mutually matched 1-to-1 appointments with leading suppliers as well as a fully hosted itinerary including flights and accommodation at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, access to a variety of networking events, participation in Discovery Day, and access to the ibtm america Knowledge Forum.
Jaime McAuley, Event Director, ibtm america commented, “This year we’re rolling out 100% mutual match business appointments, which puts both buyers and exhibitors in the driver’s seat, giving them full control to choose who they want to meet with while eliminating non-relevant meetings.”
Hosted Buyers will be chosen based on their authority to organise, influence or make budgetary decisions for meetings, events, incentives and corporate travel, within North America or internationally.
All Hosted Buyers and exhibitors will be invited to attend the ibtm america Welcome Luncheon, which will kick off ibtm america 2016. Instead of a traditional keynote speaker during the lunch, ibtm america 2016 will embody the spirit of Nashville by hosting Lyric Crew, a group of seasoned songwriters and studio musicians. Lyric Crew will engage attendees in a creative team-building songwriting process, the result of which will be an ibtm america jingle and theme song.
The event has also announced two hot topics to be covered at the ibtm america Knowledge Forum which will include CEU Accredited Sessions and experiential sessions. Attendees will be able to attend education sessions on “Digital Security Trends“ and “Meetings Design” where they will explore using storyboard techniques to create fun and effective experiences for customers.
Jim Spellos, Media Expert and President of Meeting U, will cover “Digital Security Trends.” In his session Spellos will explore the most important trends in digital security, a hot topic in the new digital age.
Jaime McAuley concludes, “Our event programme is coming together and everything is looking great- we will have a number of other important announcements in the coming weeks. This year we have taken advantage of the exciting location of Nashville in our planning and are set to offer attendees a truly personalised experience designed to offer maximum ROI through a combination of pre-scheduled business appointments, networking and learning.”
As part of Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) global agreement designating oneworld as its exclusive airline alliance partner for 2016, exhibitors attending ibtm america are eligible for an exclusive discount when booking through oneworld events.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
