For the first time, EIBTM www.eibtm.com is to present a China Meetings Summit, to give the international meetings industry a view of how the world’s economic power house is determined to succeed on the global stage winning high profile business led events.

As economists look to China and it’s potential for 70% growth over the next 5 years, conversations are leading towards one critical conclusion - If a business isn’t positioned in the Chinese market or serving clients in that region, high growth is going to be difficult to achieve. The China Meetings Summit will look at the meetings industry from a first tier destination perspective and from a meeting planner perspective, bringing a highly interactive session with live debate and presentations from some of China’s key industry leaders, showing how they are competing for business with the rest of the world.

Craig Moyes, Group Exhibition Director, IBTM Portfolio commented “The IBTM portfolio of events includes CIBTM – the annual event for the meetings industry that was launched in Beijing in 2005. Year on year this event grows from not only an international, local and regional exhibitor base but also from a Hosted Buyer and trade visitor perspective. Strategically located in the capital city of China, and the getaway for government and industry, the influence that CIBTM has on the industry sector, both inbound and outbound from China, gives us the opportunity to bring this perspective to our biggest event, EIBTM.”

The panel, facilitated by Eric Rozenberg (Non-Executive Chair of the IBTM Portfolio and President of Swantegy Ltd) will assess the new business mix in China and the increasing importance of meetings to in the success to secure business. Discussions will also consider the impacts of national and domestic business giants and their impact on the outbound meetings markets as well as the impact major events such as the Olympic Games (Beijing) have had on the success of their economy.

Other topics for discussion will cover anticipated growth for the industry, the development of the domestic meetings industry and the ways in which the local trade and infrastructure is helping to meet the perpetuating needs of a meetings industry which is expanding at an exponential rate.

The panel will comprise Golfer Gao (Deputy Director of High-end Tourism Department, Beiging Municipal Commission of Tourism Development), Patrick Chen (Deputy Director of International Tourism Promotion Department, Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration), Mr. William Wei (Deputy General Manager, China National Convention Center), Mr. George Qiao (Deputy Director of Department of International Cooperation, China Electronic Chamber of Commerce), Les Sinclair (Director, Regional Accounts, Global Synergies) and Ms. DSally Greenhill, Managing Director, The Right Solution).

The China Meetings Summit will take place on Tuesday 29th November at 3:30 – 4:30pm (conference room 5.3) at EIBTM this year. Please visit www.eibtm.com for more information and ways to attend.