What Attendees Loved About IBTM World 2023

IBTM World 2023 took place in the middle of November in Barcelona, attracting thousands of professionals from across the MICE industry and creating a space to come together and share ideas. The event was a resounding success based on the feedback we received from our attendees, with stories and thanks flooding in across social media as people shared their experiences from over the three days. 

We’re reflecting on what went well in 2023 and planning for how to make IBTM World even better in 2024, which has involved reading through all the comments and posts from our attendees. To highlight some of the most popular aspects of the event, here’s a round-up of what our attendees loved most about IBTM World 2023, based on what they shared on social media.

Sustainability was a topic highlighted multiple times in our Trends Report, so it’s no surprise that it was also a recurring theme across the talks and panels we hosted at IBTM World. We also made the effort to lessen the impact that our event had on the environment with a range of sustainable swaps and gestures to help attendees have a greener experience, and the feedback for this was very positive. 

Attendees were provided with reusable water bottles to refill during the event and encouraged to take steps to reduce their own carbon footprint in how they travelled to the event.

As well as the impact IBTM World had on attendees over the three days, the event’s value extends long after it finishes because of the insight and perspective it allows attendees to take back to their roles and companies. Conversations around how AI is going to be used in the future for events were very popular, along with the fact that events are becoming trusted and credible sources of information at a time when many people are losing their faith in news outlets.

For destination-specific brands in particular, the opportunity to discuss the potential impact of tourism in their location with similar businesses can be instrumental in their growth.

IBTM World offered a range of activities for attendees, mixing content with opportunities for activation. This gave attendees the option to engage with the sessions as well as chances to network and connect; an approach that was very well received by many of the people who attended. 

The role of content at events has changed significantly since the pandemic. Now, user-generated content is the new frontier, helping attendees connect with the event organically and ensuring that events get authentic coverage as well as what they have planned.

At IBTM World, content was at the heart of everything for both attendees and exhibitors. Podcast booths on the show floor captured thoughts and reactions in real-time, and we saw plenty of attendees collecting and creating content whilst they were at the event that could then be recycled into multiple formats to extend its life.

We know the impact that experience and attendee treatment have on an event’s success, so it’s gratifying to see plenty of attendees praising the welcome they received from the IBTM World team. With features like badges at the airport for guests, reusable bottles on arrival, a DJ on arrival and the IBTM World app, attendees were prioritised and given a special experience that highlighted their role and value at the event.

We’ve been hosting our event in Barcelona since 2021 and have always loved the city, not only for its reputation as a prime MICE destination but also for its culture, colour, scenery, and architecture. When you look at the feedback from our attendees, it’s clear that many of them share this love for this Spanish city.

Community is an incredibly important part of successful events, and in line with our #CultureCreators campaign, we’ve highlighted how a sense of culture at events can improve the experience. Not only were the talks and resources geared towards this theme incredibly inspiring for attendees, but IBTM World 2023 itself ticked all the boxes when it came to building a sense of culture where professionals came together to meet and learn from one another.

The incredible lineup of talks and workshops is a big draw to IBTM World, but there are also plenty of opportunities for conversation that can be the source of just as many exciting ideas and discoveries. Whether it was chats at networking meetups or discussions between exhibitors and attendees, one theme we saw across our feedback was the value of the conversations everyone had at IBTM World 2023.

An experience that attendees repeatedly mentioned in their feedback was the opportunity to meet or reunite with fellow MICE professionals from around the world. This highlights one of the things that makes IBTM World such a uniquely valuable event; it brings exhibitors and attendees together from across the world to collaborate and inspire one another, or just to strengthen connections that will prove fruitful in the future.

Topics of inclusion and accessibility have been at the forefront of many conversations in the MICE industry for the past couple of years, and we made a strong effort to ensure that IBTM World 2023 was a place where no attendees felt excluded because of their identity. One feature of this was that all of our events had live transcriptions and translations, helping all attendees to be able to fully engage with the content.

A key theme we saw discussed again and again throughout IBTM World 2023 was the value of events to facilitate networking opportunities and allow professionals to make connections that benefited them both personally and professionally. We strive to be the leader in MICE industry events and it’s clear from the feedback our attendees shared that the connections made at IBTM World will have a long-lasting impact.

We were deeply moved by the quantity of positive feedback we received and grateful for the suggestions on how we can make IBTM World 2024 even better. IBTM World 2024 is taking place from 19 – 21 November, and we can’t wait to be back in Barcelona with another program that is sure to get our attendees talking.

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