ORLANDO
AIBTM is greatly decreasing the number of buyers and exhibitors for future shows, as well as rebranding to IBTM America.
The tradeshow, operated by Reed Travel Exhibitions, will limit attendance to 250 buyers and 250 exhibitors, and offer a standardized pod system for 8-by-8-foot exhibits, which will be uniformly priced at $9,500 and include electricity, furniture and Internet connection, among other features.
“It will be simple, hassle-free and focus on the thing that counts—business,” said Michael J. Lyons, exhibition director for AIBTM. “It’s a plug-and-play solution with an all-inclusive package price, with no freight or drayage.”
The schedule will allow for up to 30 appointments with hosted buyers, which will be selected by “mutual match” between buyers and sellers, rather than just leaving it up to the buyers, which is the current format.
Lyons described the new arrangement as one that offers “quality over quantity.”
The new format will aim for a buyer ratio of 35 percent corporate, 30 percent third party, 25 percent association and government, and 10 percent independent. The supplier mix will be roughly 60 percent from the U.S. and 40 percent international.
The new IBTM America exhibition still plans to rotate between Orlando and Chicago, where the 2015 show will be held in June, but Reed Travel Exhibitions is still in the process of deciding what facility will be used, due to the smaller size of the three-day program. MPI and PCMA will also continue to provide the educational programming.
As a comparison, the 2014 AIBTM exhibition attracted approximately 1,200 buyers and 508 exhibitors, according to Lyons. The new one-to-one buyer-to-seller ratio and smaller overall size will foster greater ROI on both sides of the pod table, Lyons contends, adding that as the world’s largest exhibition company, Reed can mine its extensive database to locate the most fruitful matches.
“We have that data,” he said. “We’re hand-picking so we have that ultimate match...We think by bringing this down to a smaller, more intimate environment, we think that the ROI will pay off for both parties, and that’s kind of a radical shift from where we are today."
Lyons said exhibitors, who could easily pay up to $50,000 per booth in the past, can now pay an all-inclusive price of $9,500 and have a ‘plug-and-play’ pod that is set up and ready to go as soon as the exhibiting company walks into the hall.
Companies will also have the option of buying an additional pass per booth and those that traditionally offer more complex and larger booths with food and beverage service can opt to host private functions.
In other AIBTM news, the exhibition reported a 28 percent increase in the number of appointments per exhibitor and an increase of 15 percent for buyers.
– Tyler Davidson
