Increased demand for outbound MICE business in IBTM India

MUMBAI - The importance of the outbound MICE market from India, among the fastest growing economies globally, is reflected in the number of suppliers heading to Mumbai for Reed Travel Exhibition’s inaugural IBTM India which takes place from 12-14 September 2013.  IBTM India will reflect the core values of the IBTM global portfolio of meeting events providing business, education and networking but in a new tabletop format.

“The statistics speak for themselves. A recent survey showed that nearly 1.8 million people travelled outbound for meetings and conventions in 2012 with the major sectors being pharma, FMCG, IT and financial services the highest contributors.  Europe is one of the most popular destinations but so is Czech Republic and Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Thailand.  Whilst there is a limited number of tabletops available, we expect those who want a piece of this lucrative market will be there,” said Shinu Pillai, IBTM India Project Manager.

Participants from around the world who will be joining the first event include; Barcelona Convention Bureau (Spain), ICEE Travel (Turkey), Vienna Convention Bureau (Austria), ATY Events (Turkey), Cvent (USA), Tourespana (Spain), Tourism Toronto (Canada), Tourism New Zealand, Kuoni Private Safari (South Africa),Switzerland Convention Bureau, Cyprus Tourism Organisation, Regal Hotels (Hong Kong), Gran Melia Don Pepe – Marbella (Spain) and Munich Convention Bureau (Germany).

Confirmed Hosted Buyer, Sekar Sankaran, VP Travel & Hospitality Wipro Ltd explained their attendance at IBTM India; "Wipro Ltd has operations in 56 countries globally which entails frequent travel and a large volume of hotel room utilization. We are keen to participate in the IBTM India Hosted Buyer Programme to connect with major global players in the space of travel and hotel accommodation – either TMCs/ hotel suppliers directly or aggregators. 

“While we have existing relationships with Airlines & Hotel chains, we would like focus further on our top utilization geos such as Americas, the UK and Europe, and APAC. We are looking at optimising spend on travel and room utilization and are open to solutions offered by serviced apartment chains and customised corporate accommodation providers. MICE is an important function for us, we would like to interact with global players in the MICE management and group travel space.”

Dorothy John, Travel Manager, India Symantec Corporation explained why she will be attending IBTM India. “ The reasons are that it provides an opportunity to meet with major players of the industry, keep up to date with the latest news and the most important is that it serves as a platform to meet and discuss the best return on Investment, and discuss both regional and global issues on T & E management trends.”

Rolf Dungefeld, MD of GTC German Tours & Conference CmbH confirmed their participation; “IBTM India is very important because India is a growing market for us. This year in January we have organised a Global Sports Congress in Amravati with 400 delegates and we have several other requests for India. This is why our attendance at IBTM India would be very helpful.”
 
The first IBTM India will comprise 100 MICE and Business Travel suppliers from international and Indian hotels and venues, national/ state convention bureaus, travel/ destination management companies, event management and entertainment suppliers, professional conference organisers, airlines and technology providers. Exhibitors will have an online diary of pre-scheduled appointments generated through an online mutual matching system. A proportionate number of top-level decision makers, 50 international and 50 from India, will be hosted as buyers, all of whom will be pre-qualified to ensure they are planning to place international business. Buyers will be from key associations, corporations and agencies.

Sourced: TravelDailyNews