IBTM World 2024 Achieves Outstanding 10% Attendance Surge with Over 73,000 Enterprise Conferences

The 2024 version of IBTM World surpassed its earlier milestones, celebrating the outstanding potential of human connection within the international occasions business. This yr’s occasion facilitated over 73,000 pre-scheduled enterprise conferences, marking a 19% improve in comparison with 2023. Moreover, numerous spontaneous networking moments unfolded throughout the exhibition ground.

Customer attendance soared by 10% in comparison with final yr, whereas the occasion welcomed 18% extra Hosted Patrons from over 120 nations. Greater than 2,350 exhibitors engaged with attendees, underscoring the dynamic progress and attain of IBTM World.

Sue Baimbridge, Chief Industrial Officer, RIHGA Royal Lodge Osaka, commented: “This is our first year exhibiting at IBTM World as part of our strategy to grow our business pipeline for 2025 when we become part of the Vignette Collection from IHG Hotels & Resorts. With 56 meeting rooms and over 7,000sqm of meeting space, the business events market is crucial for our business.

“The quality of buyers and volume of meetings over the past three days at IBTM has been brilliant. I’m returning to Osaka with eight solid leads and another five or six business leads to follow up on in the next few weeks. The meeting booking system and support I’ve received from the IBTM team have been excellent and I’m looking forward to returning next year!”

A Celebration of Folks Energy

With its 2024 theme, Championing Folks Energy Potential, IBTM World highlighted the profound achievements made potential when cutting-edge expertise is mixed with the collective effort of occasion professionals. The occasion showcased the central perception that drives the business ahead: success is constructed on collaboration and the power of human connections.

Shaping the Future By Perception and Advocacy

The convention programme emphasised themes corresponding to Perception, Innovation, Social Duty, and Advocacy, aiming to foster collaboration and shared studying. The lineup featured three standout keynote audio system:

• Baroness Tanni Gray-Thompson, a five-time Paralympic medalist, opened the Predominant Stage with an inspiring dialogue on empowering people, cultivating group spirit, and embracing inclusivity.
• Simone Heng, a specialist in human connection, delivered a compelling tackle on the worth of significant relationships within the evolving AI panorama.
• On the ultimate day, Julius Solaris, founding father of Boldpush, joined consultants from Buro Happold and Seen Presents Ltd to discover methods to create genuine, human-centric occasion experiences in a tech-driven world.

Revolutionary Options and Programmes

IBTM World 2024 launched a number of groundbreaking initiatives designed to gas innovation and collaboration:

• Distinctive Experiences Programme: Tailor-made for in-house occasion professionals and entrepreneurs, this programme targeted on creating impactful experiences to drive enterprise progress. Audio system from Amazon, TikTok, and Canva have been among the many highlights.
• The Lodge Pavilion: A brand new platform for impartial and boutique lodges debuted, providing them a devoted house to showcase their distinctive choices.
• Discussion board for Advocacy: Bringing collectively policymakers, business leaders, and teachers, this discussion board addressed important points, together with over-tourism, local weather change, and the financial affect of enterprise occasions.

Insights and Trade Traits

The occasion additionally launched two main business studies:

1. Traits Report 2024: Authored by Alistair Turner, this report emphasised the rising significance of expertise and highlighted the emergence of a brand new breed of occasion professionals tailor-made to satisfy the sector’s evolving wants.
2. International Vacation spot Report: Revealed by The Enterprise of Occasions, the report revealed optimistic funds stability developments in developed areas whereas addressing ongoing disparities in financial advantages and staffing challenges.

Revolutionizing Occasion Expertise

IBTM World 2024 showcased its standing as a pacesetter in occasion expertise with superior instruments designed to reinforce each exhibitor and attendee experiences:

• Lead Booster and Lead Supervisor App: These instruments empowered exhibitors to focus on the correct leads and handle them in actual time.
• Colleqt QR Expertise: This characteristic allowed guests to seamlessly collect exhibitor info by way of QR codes, eliminating the necessity for bodily brochures whereas guaranteeing no lead went unrecorded.

A Imaginative and prescient for the Future

IBTM World 2024 not solely celebrated the achievements of the previous but additionally set a transparent path for the way forward for the worldwide occasions business. By combining innovation, advocacy, and the ability of human connection, the occasion bolstered its place as a cornerstone of progress and collaboration within the sector.

Main the best way

Claudia Corridor, IBTM World Exhibition Director, stated: “It’s been an absolutely thrilling three days, not least because we were celebrating a very special 20th anniversary in Barcelona, which only enhanced the feeling of camaraderie and togetherness.

“As they do every year, our wonderful IBTM World community arrived with a thirst for knowledge, a hunger for opportunities, and an enthusiasm to make connections that will take the global events industry from strength to strength.

“Our show didn’t disappoint. Between the phenomenal speakers with their captivating insights and ideas, our passionate exhibitors eager to engage, and the imaginative new initiatives designed to provide targeted and tangible support, it’s been an incredible gathering that reminds me just what a community we are in the events industry and how much we have to offer the world as a sector.”