MICE CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE

EIBTM 2008 in Barcelona : biggest ever!

EIBTM 2008 in Barcelona : biggest ever!

EIBTM 2008 in Barcelona : biggest ever!
December 08
00:00 2008

For the prestigious MICE exposition, EIBTM, this year 2008 was the biggest ever in its history. It seems that the crisis economic walking around the world doesn’t touch the meetings and MICE industry. Or, not yet.

Paul Kennedy, MBE, Group Exhibitor Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions Meetings and Incentive Event, says: “The show has grown consistently over the last four years with a net growth over 2007 of 9 per cent”. At the question about a possible crisis for the meetings industry, he stays optimistic and talks about the facts: “What is particularly pleasing, in challenging times for the industry, is that the exhibitors are already requesting their space for next year proving that the meetings industry is an extremely resilient one. There is absolutely no need to talk ourselves into a crisis”.

The number of international Hosted Buyers was this year in total about 3700 and the number of pre scheduled appointments 51000 in the three days of the exposition.

Our MICE CENTRAL and EASTERN EUROPE magazines are Media Partners of the exposition. We distributed about 450 copies of our magazines Try Slovakia, Go Czech republic and Wow! Hungary that were disposed at the Global Media Partners Lounge, a traditional and popular place where Hosted Buyers, Visitors and Exhibitors can find magazines and medias helping their professions. The most successful this year,  was Try Slovakia one.

The EIBTM Meeting and Incentive Industry Awards has recognised Christian Mutschlechner, Director of the Vienna Convention Bureau, as Industry Personality of the Year. Mr Mutschlechner will be one of main speakers at the prestigious event European Meetings Industry 2009 in February in Vienna, Austria.

You can see more about the event at: www.emi-bcm.com

Barcelona was a very good choice for EIBTM. The EIBTM would be staying in this wonderful city in Spain for a further five years. Since the year that the event had moved to the city of Barcelona, it had grown by 35 per cent in size. Looking ahead, Paul Kennedy believe that EIBTM could grow by a further 15 per cent in coming years.

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