IBTM World, which takes place in Barcelona Nov. 19-21, has launched Event Business Accelerator, an investment and mentoring program for young entrepreneurs.
The program will give people with an idea, product or service relevant to the events industry the opportunity to participate in an intensive mentoring program, culminating in a live pitch for funding to a panel of potential investors at IBTM World.
Event Business Accelerator will see the selected finalists participate in an intensive mentoring program of workshops, webinars and one-to-one sessions with a team of industry experts. The mentors will support them as they develop and scale their ideas and businesses ahead of pitching for funding to help bring their idea to fruition or to grow their existing business.
At IBTM World in November, the entrepreneurs will participate in live pitches to a panel of investors, taking part on a central stage at the heart of the event floor in a new immersive zone, IBTM Accelerate. Designed to attract and nurture entrepreneurial talent, the zone will also incorporate exhibitors and education sessions that will give delegates the opportunity to learn from other successful MICE entrepreneurs and share ideas with their peers.
IBTM Accelerate will feature several interactive discussions for the next generation of event planners; an “Influencers of MICE” series led by ex-MPI president and founder of Word of MICE, Mariska Kesteloo; Future Focus—a series of sessions focusing on the future of the MICE industry, curated by Alistair Turner; and the hotly anticipated IBTM World Tech Watch Awards, which will be presented in the zone. Supporters of the new feature zone include Barcelona Convention Bureau, MPI, Word of MICE, Reed Exhibitions, La Salle Ramon Llull University, CETT-UB, Eight PR & Marketing and Reed Exhibitions UK.
“We are delighted to announce the launch of Event Business Accelerator,” says David Thompson, event director, IBTM World. “IBTM is committed to paving the way for future industry talent and this initiative, and indeed the entire Accelerate zone, are platforms to do this in a comprehensive and sustained way. The zone will allow us to combine elements from our year-round content, our mentoring scheme, as well as providing opportunities for on-site learning. We very much look forward to announcing more details in due course.”
Applications for the Event Business Accelerator will close on Aug. 23. IBTM World is inviting submissions from entrepreneurs up to the age of 35, who have a bright idea for an events business, product or service, or who have up to three years’ experience in running their own business related to the events industry. To apply, simply complete the submission form detailing your business proposition. The entries will be scored by a panel of industry judges, with finalists being selected and announced this September 2019.
The 2019 event is expected to welcome over 2,800 exhibitors from over 150 countries, as well as over 3,500 buyers and thousands of visitors for a packed schedule of meetings, networking and educational sessions.
IBTM, part of Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE), is the world’s leading showcase for the meetings and events industry (also known as MICE) with a portfolio of 6 global and regional events providing business solutions on five continents. They include IBTM World, IBTM Arabia, IBTM Africa, IBTM Americas, IBTM China and the recently launched IBTM Asia Pacific. For more info, visit www.ibtmevents.com.
Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s 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
