Global meetings industry gathers at IBTM World opening

IBTM World is the world's leading event for the meetings, incentives, conferences and events industry, held annually in Barcelona. Our event has one objective; inspire the events world to deliver exceptional experiences to their clients.

It brings together the global meetings industry, where everyone has a common purpose: meeting the right people who can drive better business results for your organization. Make face-to-face connections with the right people, gain key industry insights, and of course, engage in unparalleled networking opportunities throughout the three days.

More than 3,000 exciting destinations and quality suppliers will come together at IBTM World ready to meet and network with more than 15,000 industry professionals, from more than 100 countries around the world.

More than 4,700 approved buyers from 110 countries will attend IBTM's flagship fair, which returns to Fira de Barcelona from November 28 to 30. Organizers have confirmed that 60,000 pre-scheduled dates have been made through the matchmaking platform this week, and even more connections are expected to be made spontaneously during the three-day event.

This year there will be a number of new and returning exhibitors, including Backstage Production Group, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, Qondor, Visit Houston, Mexico, Costa Rica Convention Bureau, Jakarta, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Macau and Choice Hotels International. This large and diverse exhibitor participation provides even more opportunities to find new ideas and inspiration, as well as indicating the strength of the global business events sector.

IBTM World's #culturecreators campaign has expanded this year to place additional emphasis on empowering event professionals to build communities, make valuable connections, design incredible experiences and create culture with their own events.

To underline the important role of event professionals in creating culture, IBTM will launch its new 'Culture Makers Report' on the third day at 12.30pm. The report, which serves as a global temperature check for the meetings and events industry and was compiled using comprehensive industry surveys and case studies, will be unveiled on the main stage in the form of an insightful panel discussion with representatives from Forbes and Sportradar.