IBTM China 2018 closed on a high, with over 6,600 pre-planned meetings happening during the two day-long event, which took place from 12–13 September at China National Convention Centre (CNCC) in Beijing. Over 300 exhibitors from 20 countries were joined by more than 280 Hosted Buyers and 3,400 visitors for two days of meetings, networking and educational sessions.

“We are excited to be here this year. San Francisco is a very popular destination for Chinese tourists. We received over 500,000 visitors this year and we hope to grow this number next year. We do attend some other IBTM shows around the world but it is our first time at IBTM China. This is a great opportunity for us to connect the buyers from all over the world,” said, Hubertus Funke, Executive Vice President & Chief Tourism Officer, San Francisco Travel.

“I have attended IBTM China for over 5 years, so it is a great show for me. The arrangement of the show and the organisation is done really well. I have found some great suppliers and hotels for the Chinese market which is so important, and also discovered new regions in China outside of the main hubs,” said Kin Fun Michael Chow, Corporate Development and Staff Affairs, Provident Travel Group, Hong Kong, added,

Hosted Buyers attended from corporations including AVIAGE SYSTEMS, Danone Nutricia, ALE Co., Ltd, IKEA, DBS Bank, Mary Kay China, Carrefour China, Lenovo, NTUC Income, Philips, Novo Nordisk, Ping An Bank, Infinitus China, Sanofi, World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, HelmsBriscoe and Provident Capital Group Inc.

Exhibitors were a high-quality mix of domestic and international companies, including Accor hotels, Business Events Canada, Melia Hotels International, Floating Island Seoul, Millennium Hotels and Resorts, Beijing Exhibition Centre, JW Marriott Hotel Beijing Central, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), and Shanghai International Convention Center.

The market-leading Knowledge Programme was once again very popular, with nearly 500 visitors this year attending sessions exploring topics across ten key areas. These included advances in the new wave of Chinese tech innovation and its effect on the global technology scene; a study into the associations market in China and how this will contribute to the growth of the industry; how to sell incentive travel to business leaders and an insight into the latest global industry trends report.

Nicole Ci, Event Manager, IBTM China, said: “In a dynamic market such as ours, there’s always a real buzz on the event floor and this year’s event was no exception. Reports from exhibitors and Hosted Buyers were that their meetings were extremely productive, which ultimately is what makes this a must-attend event.”

“As always, there will be lots of learnings for us to takeaway and analyse to ensure that we evolve our event going forward. It’s important that we continue to deliver experiences that help our attendees make valuable new connections and access inspiring educational sessions to help them stay on the cutting edge of industry developments and deliver their own show-stopping events.”