25 September 2024: IBTM has revealed human connection specialist and award-winning author, Simone Heng, will be a keynote speaker at its flagship IBTM World event. Simone is part of an electrifying line-up of speakers at the leading global trade show who will amplify the unparalleled power of events to offer personal experiences.
With a mission to inspire people to connect, Simone has shared her wisdom with organisations including the United Nations, Harvard University and Google.
Her book, Let’s Talk About Loneliness, is the winner of the 2024 Silver Nautilus Book Award for Social Change & Social Justice.
Opening the Main Stage on day two of the show, which celebrates its 20th anniversary at the iconic Fira de Barcelona from November 19 to 21, Simone will deliver an enthralling session on ‘The power of human connection’. In today’s diverse and often polarised world, attendees will have the opportunity to discover techniques for forging meaningful relationships across divides, and why these connections are imperative as humans move deeper into the age of artificial intelligence.
Expert insight
In a compelling conference programme which champions the idea of ‘People Power Potential’, a range of pioneering speakers will exemplify the connection that unites all event professionals: a belief that what people need to succeed is other people. Reflecting this, the conference programme features fascinating tracks on Experience Design and Marketing, amongst others.
This includes speakers such as Heather Gallagher, Former Chief Technology Officer & Head of Design at Burning Man, who will lead a scintillating talk on the Main Stage exploring how Burning Man grew from a small gathering into a global cultural movement, without the use of traditional marketing. Taking place on day one and titled ‘From gathering to global: the transformational journey of Burning Man’, Heather will use vivid images and playful interactive elements to guide attendees through personal and collective experiences that ignite deep connections, lasting memories and a fiercely loyal community.
In a riveting session as part of IBTM World’s new Exceptional Experiences programme, Jameka Pankey, Head of Experiences for Artist at Amazon Music, will explore ‘Turning events into cultural experiences’. Featuring on the Main Stage on day two of the show, Jameka will share her insight into reframing briefs through an experiential lens to elevate events from the ordinary to the extraordinary.
Industry heavyweights Jimmy Knowles, Global Head of Experiential at Canva, and Madolyn Grove, Creator Community at TikTok, will follow and share their experiences of creating strong global brand propositions. Titled ‘Building and expanding a world-class event brand - what differentiates good from great?’, the captivating session will and delve into the importance of brand equity as an intangible asset, and its impact on creating events which are market-leading.
Delving deeper
Goc O'Callaghan, Global Experience Lead at Buro Happold, will take to the Main Stage to deliver a stimulating session on ‘The global shift towards experientialism’. Taking place on day one, Goc will bring to life new research and understanding about how experience design is changing the way people live and work around the world. This is as well as how the experience economy is adapting to revolutionary technological changes, and how all this filters into experience design in the meetings and events world.
Leading a thought-provoking session on the subject of consent is Intimacy Coordinator at Sam Murray On Set, Samantha Murray. Having worked on some of the world’s most high-profile film sets, Samantha will share her expertise to support event organisers and delegates to create safer, respectful and more inclusive spaces. The absorbing session, which is titled ‘The importance of common consent, from a Hollywood intimacy coordinator’, will run on the Main Stage on day one of IBTM World.
Sharing her insights on the psyche of modern-day delegates is Jules Griffith, Director of Sales & Marketing at mccglc. Titled ‘Behavioural psychology and how it impacts people and events’, Jules’ engaging session will feature on the Main Stage on day two of IBTM World and consider how event professionals adapt to changing audiences and create events that resonate in this new landscape.
Claudia Hall, Exhibition Director at IBTM World, said: “This year’s conference programme is an uplifting and exhilarating tribute to people, the power of working together, and the limitless potential that can be achieved when we do so. We’re delighted that so many incredible speakers are prepared to share their wisdom with our wonderful community who are always so eager to learn, so ready to be inspired, and so prepared to engage.
“All sessions are carefully curated to ensure maximum benefit for attendees, and I can’t wait to watch our industry come together and put the building blocks in place to create an even greater, more dynamic and thriving events industry of the future.”
For more information on the 2024 conference programme, please visit: https://www.ibtmworld.com/en-gb/whats-on/conference-programme.html#/sessions/day/1.
ENDS
For all media enquiries, additional comment and request for interview please contact
Becca Krug and Emily Stewart at Davies Tanner:
Tel: +44 (0)1892 619100
ibtmpr@daviestanner.com
Notes to Editors
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, and IBTM Asia Pacific.
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. 2024 is the 37th anniversary of IBTM World and the 20th year the event has been hosted in Barcelona.
Next event: Tuesday 19 November to Thursday 21 November 2024 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 21 to Thursday 22 August 2024 at Centro Citibanamex in Mexico City.
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
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