Launched by Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) to complement its global portfolio of meetings industry events, the first IBTM India was praised by both suppliers and buyers as an “excellent new forum for business and knowledge.” The table-top event placed over 80 Hosted Buyers with 72 exhibitors from Sept. 12-14.
“As an exhibitor at a first-time show, there is always some apprehension as to whether the show will meet aspirations and deliver leads from our target market. IBTM India has shown a very positive performance to date, and I look forward to actively following up on the sales leads it has produced,” said Edward Mitchell, sales manager, Rovos Rail Tours, South Africa.
The success of the one-to-one pre-scheduled appointment system guaranteed some 2,496 appointments, which meant an average of 34 per exhibitor. Hosted Buyers represented 16 countries and also came from eight key cities in India. Suppliers represented 22 countries, and 29 came from around India.
“I [was] pleased with the quality of buyers and appointments. Most of the B2B or B2C shows I have attended in India tend to be generic, but this was focused, relevant, and I got some good leads out of this. The organization of the event was very smooth, the Reed team helpful and efficient; this is the most focused MICE show I have attended in India,” said Reem Khokhar, regional manager of Asia Pacific, Visit England.
The event opened with a half-day conference attended by over 200 delegates and a keynote session from Devdutt Pattanaik, who talked about the teachings of mythology and how this can be translated into modern-day business practices. It provided a perspective on how the world of business in India is evolving while it still maintains elements of tradition and beliefs, which remain ingrained in society and culture. This session was followed by a panel debate about the state of the industry both inbound and outbound.
Both regional and international Hosted Buyers complimented RTE on its organization and relevance of IBTM India in its debut year.
SITE India Chapter timed one of its first series of networking seminars called ‘The Power of Networking” to coincide with IBTM India and announced that it was a “complete success.” SITE also held its own session for MICE industry members and SITE members during the event led by Rajeev Kohli, a director on the international board of Site Global, where he serves as Asia’s first vice president for 2013. The Chapter was launched in December 2012 and has 34 Indian members and three from Nepal.
