Cape Town. The first IBTM Africa, launched by Reed Travel Exhibitions and part of Africa Travel Week, was praised by both suppliers and buyers as an “excellent new event for business development, knowledge enhancement and exclusive networking” in the region with global relevance. The table-top event introduced 45 international Hosted Buyers to 45 African and Indian Ocean exhibitors this week over the course of 2.5 days at the Cape Town International Conference Centre (CTICC).
The success of the one-to-one pre-scheduled appointment system guaranteed nearly 1,500 appointments over two days, i.e. an average of 33 business appointments for the regional exhibitors. International Hosted Buyers represented 17 countries including UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UEA, China, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Kenya and the United States.
Africa holds enormous potential for the Meetings industry with great investment in infrastructure. The World Bank predicted that Africa’s economic growth should accelerate to more than 5% over the next 3 years, far outpacing the global average with increased investment, high commodity prices and a pick-up in the global economy driving this expected growth surge.
Both exhibitors and international Hosted Buyers complimented Reed Travel Exhibitions on its organisation and relevance of IBTM Africa in its debut year.
Carol Martin, Destination Manager South Africa of Pacific World, Global Destination, Event & Congress Management, commented, “As an exhibitor at IBTM Africa’s first show in Cape Town, I really enjoyed the event and I have been very impressed by the organisation and the programme. We were glad we had the opportunity to meet new buyers with fresh ideas, which will give us the opportunity in future to tailor our programmes even more to suit our clients individual needs.”
Hosted Buyer Daniel Wood, President of the Freestyle Football Federation, United Kingdom, commented, “IBTM Africa has been a fantastic experience for me. We have an unconventional product but we got a lot out of the two days with very productive meetings.”
Shinu Pillai, Project Manager IBTM Africa, concluded, “We are very pleased with the success of the first show of its kind in the meetings industry in Africa. The table-top format proves not only its relevance to Africa’s MICE industry, but provides also a perfect platform for quality education, exclusive networking and business opportunities for exhibitors and suppliers alike. We are confident that the impact of the first IBTM Africa has set the scene for next year’s show, which will take place 13th – 15th of April 2015.”
www.ibtmevents.com/ibtmafrica
