The first IBTM India, launched by Reed Travel Exhibitions, to complement its global portfolio of meetings industry events on 6 continents, was praised by both suppliers and buyers as an “excellent new forum for business and knowledge.” The new table top event placed over 80 Hosted Buyers with 72 exhibitors last week over the course of 3 days at the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai.

The success of the one-to-one pre-scheduled appointment system guaranteed some 2,496 appointments which meant an average of 34 per exhibitor. Hosted Buyers represented 16 countries and also came from 8 key cities in India. Suppliers represented 22 countries and 29 came from around India.

The event opened with a half-day conference attended by over 200 delegates and a keynote session from Devdutt Pattanaik, who talked about the teachings of mythology and how this can be translated into modern day business practices. It provided a perspective on how the world of business in India is evolving whilst it still maintains elements of tradition and beliefs, which remain ingrained in society and culture. This session was followed by a panel debate about the state of the industry both inbound and outbound.

“As an exhibitor at a first time show, there is always some apprehension as to whether the show will meet aspirations and deliver leads from our target market. IBTM India has shown a very positive performance to date and I look forward to actively following up on the gold standard sales leads it has produced,” said Edward Mitchell, Sales Manager, Rovos Rail Tours, South Africa.

“The quality of buyers was good and I am confident that in years to come IBTM India will get bigger and bigger. Well done Team IBTM India, job well done” added Shyam Saijid, Managing Director, Travel With Us.

“I am very pleased with the quality of buyers and appointments I have had at IBTM India, most of the B2B or B2C shows I have attended in India tend to be generic, but this was focused, relevant and I feel like I got some good leads out of this. The organisation of the event was very smooth, the Reed team helpful and efficient and in my experience this is the most focused MICE Show I have attended in India. Congratulations to the team at Reed for pulling off a very good event and I look forward to seeing IBTM India grow in the coming years” Reem Khokhar, Regional Manager Asia Pacific, Visit England.

Both regional and international Hosted Buyers also complimented RTE on its organization and relevance of IBTM India in its debut year.

Vineet Gopal, Secretary, Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) set the scene for why IBTM India will be the event for the MICE industry going forward.

“A fantastic format and a great first day. Very satisfied. Firstly I really want to compliment you and your team for a great initiative and for getting the required quality at one single point. As this is my first attendance at any of your events across the globe, I am honestly impressed. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to be part of prestigious and esteemed show.”

“A comprehensive collection of quality exhibitors and a good format that worked well,” confirmed Audrey Brindley, Director, Premier Partnership.

“It was an excellent opportunity to be part of this unique concept. I enjoyed being here and hopefully we’ll have some very good partnerships starting now and lasting for several years, India –night was fabulous, arrangements were par-excellence, Keep it up!!” Dr I S Gilada, President, Aids Society of India.

SITE India Chapter timed one of its first series of networking seminars entitled ‘The Power of Networking” to coincide with IBTM India and announced that it was a “complete success”. SITE also held its own session for MICE industry members and SITE members during the event led by Rajeev Kohli a Director on the International Board of Site Global where he serves as Asia’s first Vice President for 2013. The Chapter was launched in December 2012 and has 34 Indian members and 3 from Nepal.

Shinu Pillai, IBTM India Project Manager concluded; “The table-top format is a proven business model across Reed Travel Exhibitions’ events and we are confident that the impact of this first IBTM India on both international and domestic suppliers and buyers will set the scene for growth in 2014”.