IBTM World Virtual goes live next Tuesday, December 8, 2020.

More than 10,000 meetings are due to take place over the three days of the online event, which is standing in for IBTM World this year.

“While we’re disappointed not to be able to meet in person this year, we’re excited to bring the industry together this December at IBTM World Virtual,” said David Thompson, event director, IBTM World. “We couldn’t have created this event without an incredible amount of hard work from our team and the support of our partners and friends within the industry, and we look forward to being able to get together in person again from November 30th to December 2nd, 2021, in Barcelona.”

IBTM World Virtual, which runs December 8-10, is bringing together destinations and suppliers with top-calibre hosted buyers from global corporations, associations and agencies. It is also delivering a comprehensive program of education sessions.

The virtual event includes three full days of meetings between some of the world’s largest and best-known destinations and suppliers with top calibre Hosted Buyers from some of the biggest global corporations, associations and agencies, as well as a comprehensive education program.

Recently signed major exhibitors include Singapore Tourism Board, Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau, Adelaide Convention Bureau, European Convention Centre Luxembourg, Visit Norway Meetings & Events, South Africa Tourism, German Convention Bureau, Monaco Convention Bureau, Tourism Vancouver, Destination DC, The Carlton Tower Jumeirah, Visit Portugal CVB, Visit Britain, Rhodes Bay Hotel & Spa and Bruges Meeting & Convention Centre.

Buyers from across the globe are attending, with almost a third being new to the event.  Registered association buyers include those from the European Society of Urology, the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP), World Confederation for Physical Therapy, The International Ecotourism Society, International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy, Research Quality Association (RQA), The Linux Foundation, and The European Society for Medical Oncology.

Major corporations due to attend include: Jones Lang LaSalle, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Bain & Company, IBM, Michelin, Dell, Novartis International AG, Boston Consulting Group, Real Madrid C.F., Deloitte, Cook Medical, NIKE, Leroy Merlin, BBVA France, Puma Brazil, Mundipharma International Limited, Hyundai, HORIBA Medical, and Schlumberger.

The content program is available on all three days of the event and has been designed to reflect the key themes relevant to event professionals as our industry rebuilds and recovers post-pandemic. Session topics include focusing on leadership through change, technology and sustainability.

New for this year is a program of bespoke content for those running experiential events in the Exceptional Experiences stream. In addition, Hosted Buyers will benefit from dedicated content tailored specifically for them with the IBTM Inspire Masterclass stream, a separate on-demand track available from December 10 with sessions for associations, corporates and agencies, which is sponsored by Korea Tourism Organization.

On December 10, IBTM TV, which is sponsored by MeetEngland and Monaco Convention Bureau, is streaming live and on-demand content from our expert speakers direct to attendees’ screens. This will include a variety of panel sessions, keynotes, trend reports and awards ceremonies.

Education highlights include a keynote presentation from Pancho Campo who will present a session about his experience working with former President of the United States Barack Obama, and how his learnings have impacted his approach to the future of events. Social Technologist and Futurist Cecilia MoSze Tham will explore the future of human connectivity and what that might mean for innovation in the events industry; and founder and managing partner at Storyminers and former e-visionary at IBM, Mike Wittenstein, will present ideas to help leaders gain support for their boldest ideas and strategies.

The recently announced fourth keynote speaker Philippe Legrain, who is senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics’ European Institute and the founder of international think-tank Open Political Economy Network (OPEN), will deliver a talk titled: Prospects for 2021: Recovery, Resilience, Reinvention. Legrain’s talk will explore what we can learn from past crises about the recovery and how the industry can reinvent itself in the future.

For further information, visit www.ibtmworld.com