Ahead of IBTM World, taking place at Fira, Barcelona, from
28 to 30 November, Neslihan Gundes, senior manager of the
IBTM World hosted buyer programme shares insights into who exhibitors can expect to
meet at this year’s show and a glimpse behind the scenes of IBTM’s matchmaking process...
Who can exhibitors expect to meet at this year’s show?
Over half of IBTM World’s approved buyers hail from global
corporations, and around a third are from prominent associations, with the rest
from agency side.
High profile hosted buyers will be joining us from American
Express, BBC, BMW Group, Bosch, Coach, Charlotte Tilbury, Coca Cola, The
Economist, Oriflame, UEFA, Dnata, as well as associations including The
European Association of Nuclear Medicine, International Association for the
Study of Pain, National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion, World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine (WADEM), and
so many more.
What does your role as hosted buyer manager entail?
My role is to ensure the UK and overseas hosted buyer team
is recruiting the best quality buyers for IBTM World. We have
a team dedicated year-round to finding the most impactful buyers. Hosted buyers are only approved once they
have provided three references from suppliers, proving they have budget and
spending power.
Once buyers are approved, they can start making their
preferences and identifying the exhibitors they would like to meet. We really
believe that success is in the detail, and that’s why we continue to optimise
our matchmaking platform to facilitate only the most valuable business
connections between hosted buyers and exhibitors.
As we approach the show, I am also spending a lot of time
with our third-party suppliers to ensure all logistics are in place for every
buyer to have the best experience during their IBTM journey.
How have you evolved the hosted buyer matchmaking system
from last year?
We’ve developed a new guidance tool, WalkMe, which improves
the platform’s ability for exhibitors to search for and request appointments
with key buyers. Designed to be a ‘how to’ companion, the new tool walks
exhibitors through every step of the preference selection process.
This year, the highest quality visitor buyers will also have
access to the matchmaking platform for the first time meaning they too can
schedule meetings with exhibitors before the show.
We have enhanced the appointment request process by adding
additional information boxes so that buyers can search by size of venue and
region, and exhibitors can search by type of event the buyers are organising.
What should hosted buyers be excited about this year?
This year on day one we have the Association Leaders’ Forum
sponsored by the Amsterdam Convention Bureau – a programme of insightful
content focusing on how the associations community can contribute to the
ongoing debate around sustainability and the challenges that come with it.
There is a new-look knowledge programme of purpose-driven content on all three
days, delivered through a mix of new formats designed to increase impact and
audience engagement.
On top of this, hosted buyers will have access to exclusive
networking opportunities both at the show and in the city of Barcelona. The hosted buyer lounge will this year be sponsored by Morocco and will feature
delicious food inspired by the country in a relaxing buyer-only space.
What is your role during the show?
My role will be making sure buyers and exhibitors are having
the most effective face to face business meetings! We are on the ground to
ensure that every prescheduled meeting takes place, and I’m also responsible
for any operational or logistical issue that may crop up – this can be anything
from checking that flights are running smoothly, to making sure every hotel
transfer is booked. We are bringing around 3,000 buyers from all over the world
to the show and working with over 40 hotels, so it is always a busy show for
myself and the team, but hugely enjoyable at the same time.
For more information, visit:
https://www.ibtmworld.com/
