CIBTM (www.cibtm.com) 2012 opened today confirming its status as the leading event for the meetings, incentives, business travel and events industry in China and Asia. With over 5,000 meetings industry professionals (subject to an independent ABC audit post show) expected to participate over 3 days of the event, a 15% increase in pre-scheduled business appointments between Hosted Buyers and suppliers, 398 exhibitors on the show floor (an increase of 7% on 2011) and an 18% increase in the number of exhibitors from China, and Hosted Buyers arriving from 18 countries (up 36% on 2011), CIBTM is set to be biggest to date.
Jeffrey Xu, CIBTM Project Manager, Reed Travel Exhibitions commented; “We are delighted with the response we have had to CIBTM this year, in particular the increase in Hosted Buyers from China. This year we spent time in the regions building awareness of the MICE industry through a number of road shows and one of the reasons for the 36% increase in Hosted Buyers is a direct result of our work in the 2nd and 3rd tier cities around China.
“We have also doubled the number of corporate and association buyers from Beijing. As one of the key measurements for the success of our show is gauged by the amount of business leads created between buyers and suppliers, and with 8,459 pre-scheduled appointments already confirmed, this is a very positive start to the show” Xu added.
China Meetings Week kicked off yesterday with four bespoke Hosted Buyer tours, tailored to familiarize buyers from around the world with what the city of Beijing and surrounding areas has to offer the meetings and events industry.
Itineraries included excursions to the Temple of Heaven, Lao She Tea House, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, National Museum of China, Beijing National Stadium and 798 Art Zone.
There will be over 19 dedicated education sessions during CIBTM, delivered through strategic partnerships with leading associations including Meetings Professional International (MPI), International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE). To view a full outline of the events planned to take place as part of China Meetings week, please visithttp://www.cibtm.com/en/Education-Programme
China Meetings Week is one of the major driving forces behind the growth of the meetings industry throughout China and is set to help the country fully realise its potential to attract large-scale international corporate and association events. This year the Site annual international conference will follow CIBTM in Beijing, another example of the development of the MICE sector in the region.
For the first time, meeting professionals around the world can download the IBTM Event Show App, by searching the App Store or Android Market for ‘IBTM Events’.
