The leading global event for the meetings and events industry, IBTM World, which returns to the iconic Fira de Barcelona from November 19 to November 21, has revealed the first details of its new Exceptional Experiences programme.
An exciting addition to this year’s event, titans of industry will engage with delegates on the power of AI, the importance of audience collaboration, the value of brand-building, the merits of harnessing key data, and the benefits of developing a marketing strategy around face-to-face interaction.
Designed to showcase groundbreaking solutions to help in-house event professionals and marketers create event experiences that fuel business growth, the programme will be split into two parts. The first, on day one of IBTM World, will comprise an exclusive, invite-only workshop for senior executives, VPs and influential leaders from different sectors.
On day two, the Exceptional Experiences Forum will take place on the Main Stage, beginning with ‘Cre-AI-tivity as the new events game-changer: feel the fear, but do it anyway (and see the results)’. This scintillating session, hosted by Lesly Simmons, Head of Community Innovation at Amazon, and Paula Medeiros, Global Media Project Manager at Palo Alto Networks, will explore how the application of artificial intelligence has been misunderstood. Drawing on their first-hand experience, Lesly and Paula will explain the difference AI can make to business success when adopted early and utilised properly.
Lizzie Dale, VP Marketing at WPP Plc, will follow and join a discussion on the power of events to generate marketing spend. Titled, ‘Making the business case for face-to-face: how to get more investment for events’, Lizzie and others will delve into the latest IPA Bellwether report, examining the strong appetite for in-person engagement shown by businesses, and discovering how in-house event professionals have continued to make the case for face-to-face interaction as an outsized marketing opportunity.
Event leaders will take to the stage next to analyse what measurements matter amongst the sea of metrics event professionals have at their disposal. This thought-provoking session, titled, ‘The short-term win & the long-term gain: deciphering what really matters when it comes to measurement’, will see event leaders share their personal experiences of turning data into compelling stories which generate investment.
It is then the turn of marketing pros to share their wisdom in a stimulating session titled, ‘Audience-first every time: attracting people to your events by listening to them all the time’. It will examine how marketing pros use insights to inform their experiential strategy, and advocate for the importance of listening closely to customers before doing anything else. Speakers will detail how this fundamental rule creates a conversation across all platforms and results in a flywheel effect of SEO, organic traffic, data-build and increased conversion of attendees to events.
Jimmy Knowles, Global Head of Experiential at Canva, and Madolyn Grove, Head of Creator Community at TikTok, will close the Exceptional Experiences Forum by looking at brand-building. In an engaging session titled, ‘Building and expanding a world-class event brand – what differentiates good from great?’, they will argue that brand equity is a business’ single most important intangible asset, and share their experiences of creating strong global brand propositions that have continued to build equity over time with all stakeholders.
Claudia Hall, Exhibition Director at IBTM World, said: “This may be Exceptional Experiences’ inaugural outing at IBTM World but, with our array of pioneering speakers and our dedication to alleviating the challenges faced by in-house event professionals and marketers, we know it’s one that delegates will love.
“More than anything else, we strive tirelessly to ensure IBTM World provides true value for attendees. This is why we can’t wait for in-house event professionals and marketers to discover the tangible, take-home insights and solutions that will make a significant difference to their working lives, as well as elevate their experience of the show with a programme devoted exclusively to addressing their needs.”
