In its second year of existence, IBTM Americas—a merger between IBTM's North American and Latin American events aimed at meeting, convention, and show planners—saw 785 buyers come to Mexico City on September 5-6 to meet with 400 exhibiting destinations and supplier firms, and to attend various educational sessions.
Besides the scheduled appointments between hosted buyers and exhibitors, the show featured about 50 knowledge sessions accredited by the Events Industry Council. They addressed issues emerging within the South, Central, and North American meetings market. Among the best-attended sessions were a presentation from American Express Meetings and Events on how understanding your attendees at a deeper level can bring better event success; an analysis by C2 Montreal on why disruptive ideas are reinventing the business conference; and a primer on organizing events with minimal environmental impact.
The decision to merge the two events in 2017 aimed at capitalizing on the growing planner interest in IBTM's presence in Mexico City, along with the rapid development of the entire Latin American market for meetings and events.
