IBTM World Forum for Advocacy publishes Barcelona Declaration for coordinated collaboration

18 November 2025: A 42-strong group of senior event leaders from over 20 countries gathered in Barcelona yesterday to participate in the IBTM World Forum for Advocacy, presented by The Business of Events. 
The Forum, which took place at Hotel Miramar Barcelona on the eve of the three-day IBTM World trade show, saw insightful discussion and a collaborative campaign to achieve global recognition of the events industry’s impacts on job creation, education and innovation. 

Senior leaders from countries including the UK, USA, Canada, Spain, France, Estonia, Rwanda, Colombia, Austria, and Japan came together to align efforts, share best practices for advocacy and growth, and champion the transformative power of business events in shaping resilient, innovative, and inclusive societies. 

Key topics discussed during the Forum included;

•    Collectively working together to grow the global events economy through shared storytelling about the impact and outcomes of congresses. 
•    What strategies are needed to encourage local policymakers and media to support the long-term growth of the events sector.
•    How to better advocate for the value of the events sector amongst politicians, influential civil servants, and government departments.
As the Forum closed, The Barcelona Declaration was shared with the group. This communique underlines the value and importance of business events as a strategic driver of economic and social progress. 
The Declaration committed to: 
•    Collective action on building a sustainable, open, fair, and inclusive event economy that serves all societies equitably.
•    The continued development and promotion of policies and programmes that unlock economic growth at both local and global levels.
•    The launch of a coordinated advocacy campaign to demonstrate the value of the worldwide event economy to policymakers, stakeholders, and influencers.

“We’re calling on governments to integrate business events into national development strategies while encouraging leaders to align efforts and share best practices for advocacy and growth. The Barcelona Declaration proves there’s a fantastic appetite for working together to achieve these goals,” said Sherrif Karamat, President & CEO, PCMA.
The IBTM World Forum for Advocacy, in partnership with The Business of Events, is supported by ICCA, PCMA, IAPCO, Events Industry Council, Joint Meetings Industry Council, City DNA and SANCBE.
IBTM World Exhibition Director, Claudia Hall, said: “The Forum was a fantastic prelude to IBTM World 2025. How we articulate our impact as an industry is vital, and I’d like to thank all the associations and organisations that have supported and participated in this initiative to drive advocacy and action.”

ENDS
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Notes to Editors

About IBTM
IBTM is a world-leading showcase for the meetings and events industry with a portfolio of events and products offering business solutions across four continents. The portfolio includes IBTM World and IBTM Americas.

IBTM World, the leading global event for the meetings and events industry, is the must-attend three-day event for the worldwide meeting, incentives, conference and events industry. Thousands of meetings and events buyers, suppliers and international trade media visit Fira Barcelona every November for IBTM’s flagship show.

Next event: Tuesday 18 November to Thursday 20 November 2025 at Fira Barcelona

IBTM Americas, the leading event for the meetings and events industry in North America, Latin America, Europe and beyond, is the must-attend two-day event for the region’s meeting, incentives, conference and events industry.

Next event: Wednesday 19 to Thursday 20 August 2026 at Centro Banamex in Mexico City.

About IBTM @ ATM
IBTM @ ATM is the dedicated business events hub within Arabian Travel Market (ATM), connecting the global meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) community with the Middle East’s rapidly expanding meetings and mega events sector.

The feature brings together association planners, conference organisers, corporate buyers, and incentive agencies with destinations, venues, DMCs, and business event suppliers specialising in world-class events. With a comprehensive hosted buyer programme, targeted networking, pre-scheduled appointments, and a dedicated Business Events Stage featuring expert-led sessions, IBTM @ ATM is the essential platform for driving innovation, collaboration, and growth across the global meetings industry.

Next event: Monday 4 to Thursday 7 May 2026 at DWTC Dubai, UAE

About RX
RX is a global leader in events and exhibitions, leveraging industry expertise, data, and technology to build businesses for individuals, communities, and organisations. With a presence in 25 countries across 42 industry sectors, RX hosts approximately 350 events annually. RX is committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all our people.  RX empowers businesses to thrive by leveraging data-driven insights and digital solutions. RX is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. For more information, visit www.rxglobal.com. 

About RELX
RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. RELX serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs more than 36,000 people over 40% of whom are in North America. The shares of RELX PLC, the parent company, are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York stock exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX.

*Note: Current market capitalisation can be found at http://www.relx.com/investors