Gulf Incentive Business Travel and Meetings attracts 220 exhibitors and 277 hosted buyers

Started in 2007, GIBTM – The Gulf Incentive Business Travel and Meetings – in it’s fourth year opened today Monday, March 29, attracting 277 senior level hosted buyers from 40 countries to meet wi

Started in 2007, GIBTM – The Gulf Incentive Business Travel and Meetings – in it’s fourth year opened today Monday, March 29, attracting 277 senior level hosted buyers from 40 countries to meet with 220 exhibitors from the Gulf region, as well as some international exhibitors.

Graeme Barnett, GIBTM exhibition director, and Craig Moyes, group exhibition director, held a press conference in which it was reported that this year’s GIBTM hosted buyers are up 19 percent on 2009, and over 7,500 pre-scheduled appointments were organized, up an impressive 17 percent on last year.

As for the exhibitors, Mr. Barnett added that a few exhibitors dropped from this year’s event due to the financial problems around the world and the Gulf and Middle East; mainly the drop was from hotels.

Mr. Craig Moyes reported about Reed Exhibition’s five MICE events around the world, and in particular, he mentioned the great success of EIBTM in Barcelona.

Reed Exhibitions has signed a 5-year contract with Abu Dhabi Tourism to organize GIBTM.

Answering a question from eTurboNews, Mr. Graeme confirmed that Abu Dhabi Tourism is supporting the event in all aspects, and he is looking for better results and more exhibitors next year. He also said that GIBTM is not only for the Gulf market but also for other Arab and Middle East countries.

Over 220 exhibitors have recognized the importance GIBTM plays to their business development. New exhibitors, representing five countries, include Cape Winelands District Municipality, Dragonfly Africa, Turkish Culture and Information Office, Beijing Tourism Administration, and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Indonesia.

Regional exhibitors are represented by, among others, Qatar Tourism Authority, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, Oman Ministry of Tourism, Government of Dubai, Egypt Tourist Authority, and hotels Rotana, the region’s leading hotel group – Aloft Abu Dhabi and Burj Al Arab. Etihad, the event’s exclusive airline partner, and The Vision Destination Management, the event’s DMC, are also exhibiting.

International countries represented include Argentina, Malaysia, England, China, India, Turkey, Czech Republic, Spain, Netherlands, and Cyprus.

“In just four years, GIBTM has firmly established itself as the region’s premier event for the meetings industry. Through a dedicated Gulf Meetings Industry Week, working closely with key industry players and associations, it has become the driving force in shaping the future of the meetings industry in the region.

GIBTM 2010 runs for a further two days – Tuesday, March 30 and Wednesday, March 31 – at ADNEC, Abu Dhabi.

GIBTM Website: www.gibtm.com

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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