Yancey Strickler (pictured right), co-founder and CEO of crowdfunding website Kickstarter, will be a keynote speaker at the milestone 30th ibtm world 2017. Ibtm world, the leading global event for the meetings, incentives, conferences, events and business travel industry, will be held in Barcelona from November 28-30.
Set to be a major draw for attendees, Yancey’s session, entitled “Resist and Thrive, How New Models and Ways of Thinking Can Beat the Status Quo,” Yancey will draw on his almost decade-long experience in Kickstarter to explain the company’s unique history, its revolutionary decision to put its values ahead of profits, and share secrets on how the company formulates its innovative strategies.
Kickstarter, co-founded by Yancey in 2009, was part of the crowdfunding revolution and helped to change the way people fund and build communities around creative and world-changing ideas.
Kerry Prince, portfolio director, ibtm events, says, “We’re delighted to announce Yancey as another high-profile speaker for our market-leading Knowledge Programme. The insights and learnings Yancey will share with our audience will be invaluable as he explains how this incredibly successful modern company provides a platform for creative ideas to thrive whilst retaining a strong social conscience.
“Knowledge is a key driver in our industry and we continue to be committed to enabling our attendees to be exposed to inspirational ideas and concepts that can tangibly add value to their business life and personal development. It’s very important that we look outside of our industry for this sort of content, and that we bring in speakers who can really inspire our audience. Disruptors such as Yancey can challenge us to do things differently, and I’m hugely looking forward to what I’m sure will be a provocative talk with some exceptional take-away learnings for attendees.”
Themes for the 2017 Knowledge Programme include Industry Trends; Engagement & Experiences; Safety, Security and Risk Management; Innovation, Disruption and Technology; Sustainability and CSR; Professional & Staff Development and Business Development and Strategy.
Yancey Strickler’s session will take place on Nov. 28 at 9 a.m. at ibtm world. The flagship show, at Fira Gran Via Barcelona, saw almost 15,000 delegates to the event in 2016, with over 67,000 pre-scheduled meetings arranged over the three days.
ibtm world Launches Start-Up Pavilion for Emerging EventTech Companies
A new Start-Up Pavilion has been created at ibtm world 2017 where tech and experiential start-up companies can exhibit and showcase their products to over 15,000 highly influential MICE industry professionals.
Companies eligible to exhibit in the Start-Up Pavilion must be two years or younger, with five or fewer full-time employees, with an annual turnover of less than €500,000. As part of the exhibiting package, they will get their own personalized diary, with the opportunity to arrange pre-scheduled appointments with high-profile meetings and events planners interested in meeting technology providers.
James Morgan, founder of Event Tech Lab, and well-known tech industry influencer, said: “With so many tech companies entering the industry, it’s fantastic that ibtm world is offering a platform for smaller, younger companies to showcase their ideas and how they’ve put them into action. By showcasing the newest technologies and solutions for the MICE industry, ibtm world is once again demonstrating its commitment to innovation. The exposure that start-up technology companies can gain from exhibiting at this international event is unparalleled. The advantages of an international shop window, combined with the connections they can make and the potential business they could come away with proves that it’s an unmissable event.”
ibtm Portfolio Director Prince (pictured left) said: “For the past 30 years our focus has always been and continues to be on providing our customers with the best possible experience, which includes access to the latest and most exciting innovations in the industry. The Start-Up Pavilion is not only a cost-effective opportunity for younger companies to gain exposure in the industry but also a real draw for our Hosted Buyers and trade visitors looking to experience and invest in the very latest event technology.
“We are leading the way in the industry by showcasing the newest technologies and educating through our market-leading Knowledge Programme. Speakers such as Yancey Strickler and features such as our Innovation Zone and Technology and Services Zone will ensure we remain ahead of the curve for the next 30 years.”
Meeting Leadership Summit Focuses on Networking and Awards
ibtm world has announced that its annual Meetings Leadership Summit, its exclusive invite-only networking event for international industry leaders, will this year take place at Gran Teatre del Liceu, in Barcelona. During the event, an awards presentation will recognize the contributions of three industries luminaries as the group gathers to mark the 30th anniversary of ibtm world on the eve of the event.
On November 27, some 200 attendees from across the global meetings, incentives, conferences and events industry will gather for a cocktail reception and awards presentation in the famous Mirror Hall at the venue – Barcelona’s principal opera house and one of the city’s most stunning destinations.
Portfolio Director Prince says “Our Meetings Leadership Summit is a rare and much anticipated event when we bring together a highly influential group of leaders in the global meetings industry to network with their peers. Over the years the MLS has also been a fantastic showcase for some of Barcelona’s most stunning venues and I’m sure our guests will find the Teatre del Liceu the setting for another great event.”
Three awards will be presented at this year’s MLS: the ibtm world Lifetime Achievement Award, IAPCO (The International Association of Professional Congress Organizers) Collaboration Award and JMIC (Joint Meetings Industry Council) Power and Profile Award.
Kerry continues: “We are delighted to be hosting IAPCO and JMIC, who will this year be honoring some of our esteemed colleagues and members of the global meetings industry for their outstanding contributions.”
Attendees to the MLS will receive VIP badges and access to reserved seating for both keynote speaker sessions on November 28-29 November at ibtm world. This year Dame Stella Rimington, author and first female director general of the UK Secret Service, and Yancey Strickler, co-founder and CEO of crowdfunding website Kickstarter are ibtm world’s two high profile keynotes. Attendees to the Meetings Leadership Summit will also receive priority copies of the annual ibtm world Trends Watch Report.
UNICEO Announces a New Partnership with ibtm world
At ibtm world 2017, the United Networks of International Corporate Event Organizers, the international association bringing together senior decision-makers in charge of corporate events representing major companies and associations internationally, will be hosting a session about event Return on Investment as part of the market-leading Knowledge Programme and will also organize a Leaders Meeting in Barcelona.
Debora Piovesan, vice president at UNICEO, explains: “ibtm world is one of the leading trade shows in the sector and a key meeting point for meetings industry stakeholders. They are constantly striving to improve their education program which this year feature several sessions of interest for our Members. Furthermore it is an excellent platform for networking that enables us to communicate globally.”
ibtm Portfolio Director Prince adds: “Our customers and partners are at the heart of everything we do and we place great importance on establishing and maintaining strong connections with the corporate community UNICEO represents. We are delighted that UNICEO has chosen ibtm world as a conduit to strengthen its development in Europe and we hope the event is a huge success for them.”
Ibtm events, part of Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading showcase for the meetings and events industry (also known as MICE) with a portfolio of seven global and regional events providing business solutions on five continents. They include ibtm world, ibtm arabia, ibtm africa, ibtm america, ibtm china, ibtm latin america and AIME. For more info, visit www.ibtmevents.com
Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism events organiser, with a wide-ranging portfolio of 22 international events in 13 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa. Its market-leading, business-to-business events cover all elements of travel and tourism, including leisure travel, luxury travel, meetings, events, incentives and business travel, as well as golf travel. For more info, visit www.reedtravelexhibitions.com
Yancey Strickler was born in Virginia and grew up on a farm in the Appalachian mountains. A former music journalist and editor, he cofounded Kickstarter along with Perry Chen and Charles Adler. Since January 2014, Yancey has served as Kickstarter’s CEO. Kickstarter provides a platform for backers to support artists they love, in return for perks such as free tickets or personalised thank you notes. To date, 14 million people have backed a project, $3.3 billion has been pledged and 131,241 projects have been successfully funded. In 2015, Kickstarter became a benefit corporation. Benefit corporations are for-profit companies that are obligated to consider the impact of their decisions on society, not only shareholders.
UNICEO is a non-profit association bringing together senior decision-makers for corporate events representing leading companies, associations and institutions internationally. UNICEO members are willing to share experiences, best practices and information to improve their events, broaden their networks and boost their careers. For more info, visit www.uniceo.org
