IBTM World Barcelona, the first face-to-face event in the IBTM portfolio in two years, welcomed some 1,200 exhibiting companies from 70 countries and more than 7,000 attendees, including 1,400+ hosted buyers.

More than 30,000 pre-scheduled one-to-one meetings took place over the three days of the show, which ran from November 30th to December 2nd at Fira Barcelona. IBTM reports that the meetings satisfaction score reached 4.7 out of five with many attendees commenting on the quality of their meetings and their optimism for the future.

“For me personally, this has been an incredibly rewarding three days and it has been amazing to see people reconnect after so long apart,” said David Thompson, IBTM World Event Director. “For many, this may have been the first event they’ve attended in two years, and it’s fantastic that we were able to play our part in bringing the industry together again.

“The whole team has worked exceptionally hard to make this event a success in quite challenging circumstances and I’m so proud of what we have achieved as a team. Stepping away from our screens and enjoying some face-to-face interaction, inspirational education sessions, and one-to-one business meetings has been wonderful.”

The show drew hosted buyers from 72 countries. Almost half were completely new to the IBTM portfolio.

Delegates attended from globally renowned agencies, corporations, and associations including HelmsBriscoe, HPN Global, First Incentive Travel, HPN Global – World, Follow Red Branding Experiences, Oriflame Cosmetics, Saudi Aramco, Citigroup Inc., BBVA France, Knauf, Pfizer, Michelin, General Motors, International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI), China Electronics Chamber of Commerce, European Society of Cardiology, and more.

Returning exhibitors at IBTM World Barcelona included the CVBs of Germany, Dubai Tourism, Istanbul, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, and Norway, Atout France, Meet in Ireland, Lithuania, Turespana Convention Bureau (Spain), Hilton, Titanic Hotels, Hyatt and GL Events. New exhibitors included the Montalbano Group, Manchester City Football Club, Sardinia Convention Bureau, Basquetour, and The Celtic Collection.

IBTM World Online, an enhancement to the in-person event, will take place December 14-15, 2021. IBTM World 2022 will take place November 29 – December 1, 2022, in Barcelona, Spain.