27 July 2023: IBTM World has revealed first details of its 2023 edition, which will see an evolution in the show’s culture creation campaign. Returning to its iconic home in Fira, Barcelona on the 28th to the 30th of November, every aspect of the event has been carefully curated to illustrate the influence of event professionals in shaping culture and driving the future of business.

IBTM World 2023 will include new and exciting elements and a targeted education programme to reflect the changing needs of attendees. Business culture thrives when we are together, and the event’s mission is to provide a space for this culture to grow; especially important given our more isolated professional and personal lives. IBTM World will feature purpose-driven content to optimise attendees’ time and ensure every moment is a catalyst for growth and inspiration.

New look education

Visitors to this year’s event will find a reinvigorated education programme, with five distinct feature areas all serving different needs: the Main Stage, the Impact Stage, Workplace Revolution, ReFuel and the Associations Leaders’ Forum, with the show’s cultural theme embedded into each pillar.

The Impact Stage will make its debut this year, acting as the best-in-class showcase for the exciting work that destinations, hotels, and tech suppliers are doing across sustainability, D&I, experience design and more. Destination sessions will be curated by The Business Of Events, the Global Think Tank and Policy Platform for the business events industry, and will also feature the launch of the annual Global Destination Report. Sessions will be fast-paced and value-led, lasting no longer than 20-minutes and in the form of case studies and best-practice, allowing Hosted Buyers to glean maximum value between meetings.

Also new this year is Workplace Revolution - a welcoming space where attendees can make the valuable connections they weren’t expecting. Here they can continue conversations in a relaxed setting with inspirational figures (including speakers from the Main Stage), dissect topics in greater detail and ask those burning questions. With amenities, comfortable seating and informal campfire-style atmosphere, this is the place for people to come together, connect and enjoy key aspects of business culture that they might be missing with the increase in working from home.

In recognition of the importance of wellbeing, especially at busy trade shows like IBTM World, and the increasing pressures that we all face in our daily lives, IBTM’s wellbeing hub has re-branded to ‘ReFuel’. A zen-like pod which allows attendees time and space to relax and recharge their physical and mental batteries, it includes a wellbeing bar, sound and aromatherapy healing and solo working area to provide respite from a busy show floor.

The Association Leaders’ Forum (ALF) will be back on day one to help associations increase the impact of their gatherings around the globe and conquer challenges to achieve success in 2024 and beyond.

The Main Stage remains a fixture of the IBTM World Programme with inspiring figures from inside and outside of the events industry taking to the stage to tackle the latest topics and trends through inspirational keynotes, panel debates, and game-changing research. New to the Main Stage this year will be an afternoon of inspiring and empowering marketing content, curated in partnership with experts at The Thought Partnership, who have led content and marketing at businesses including Cannes Lions and Dow Jones. 

Strong exhibitor sales

An incredible 60 per cent of the floor space for this year’s IBTM World has already been sold, surpassing this point in 2019 and demonstrating a strong appetite for the event and a positive outlook for the industry. Exhibiting destinations include The Croatian National Tourist Board - a rising star of the European meetings industry; Meet Boston, which is launching their new brand at the event; Enit Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo returns with a strong regional presence along with multiple private companies; and Meet In Ireland returns with over 35 suppliers from across the island of Ireland.

Melia Hotels International will attend to launch its new hotel in Barcelona, and Romania’s Backstage Production Group, a full-service event production company, will be joining for the first time.

On the Hosted Buyer side, major international associations have already confirmed their attendance including the European Society of Cardiology, International Association for Enterprise Information Systems, United Networks of International Event Organisers (UNICEO), World Energy Council, and the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce.

Multinational corporations include DELL Tech; Forbes; Intel; Michelin; Delta Air Lines, Sportradar, Puma Sports, Citigroup Inc, Amex GBT, Aareal Bank AG, and Zalando.

Event agencies in attendance will be Aim Group International, BCD Meetings & Events, CWT Meetings & Events, Helmsbriscoe, HPN Global, Kuoni Global Travel Services AG, TUI, Opus Agency, Morris Meetings & Events, and VOYEL.

David Thompson, Event Director, IBTM World, comments: “Business events can be a profound force for change; both economic and social. Events have the power to bring better business results and drive forward agendas around important initiatives. Events are also a place to build communities and create vibrant and positive cultures which are sorely missing from modern working. This year, we’re on a mission to show business the true power of events and shine a spotlight on the #culturecreators who run them.”

More information on the event will be released in due course. Hosted Buyer registration is open. To apply to attend as a Hosted Buyer, please click here

www.ibtmworld.com

#IBTMWorld #culturecreators

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For all media enquiries, additional comment and request for interview please contact Becca Krug, Nancy Cremore or Becky Tombs at davies tanner:

Tel: +44 (0)1892 619100

IBTMPR@DaviesTanner.com

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, IBTM Americas, IBTM Asia Pacific and IBTM Africa.

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 28 November to Thursday 30 November 2023 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 13 to Thursday 14 September 2023 at Centro Citibanamex in Mexico City.

IBTM Asia Pacific, the leading event for the meetings and events industry in Asia Pacific, is the must-attend two-day event for the region’s meeting, incentives, conference and events industry.

About RX (Reed Exhibitions)

RX is in the business of building businesses for individuals, communities and organisations. We elevate the power of face-to-face events by combining data and digital products to help customers learn about markets, source products and complete transactions at approximately 400 events in 22 countries across 42 industry sectors. RX is passionate about making a positive impact on society and is fully committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all our people.  RX is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. 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 35,000 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