CHICAGO
Hosted buyer attendance at the Americas Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (AIBTM), held June 11-13 at McCormick Place in Chicago, increased 33 percent over figures posted at its 2012 event in Baltimore.
Lyons added that 51 percent of the hosted buyers are first-time attendees, and organizers expect to pass 15,000 pre-scheduled appointments—a more than 20% increase over 2012—by the time the final tally is calculated.
The number of exhibitors increased six percent, to 707, for this year’s event.
Connectivity and engagement are major themes of this year’s event, including a “Refresh Zone” sponsored by Chicago hospitality community service providers where attendees can enjoy massages, play foosball and engage in other recreational endeavors. Another highlight is a crowdsourcing session titled The Great Association debate scheduled for June 11 and moderated by Christine Duffy, president and CEO of Cruise Lines International, which will feature a panel of association CEOs from MPI, IAEE, ICCA, PCMA, ASAE and Site, exploring the future of the meetings.
“We wanted to create a true ‘meetings of the minds,” said Michael Lyons, exhibition director of AIBTM. “We really want to harness the incredible brain power that has gathered here over the next few days.”
In other news from AIBTM, Reed Travel Exhibitions, which operates AIBTM, announced it will launch an IBTM hosted buyer event in Africa next year. The show expects to draw 50 buyers and sellers, bringing the IBTM portfolio to seven events on five continents.
