IBTM World 2021 – Blizzard of EOT meetings with important buyers of conference tourism

Greece and EOT has a strong presence at the leading international conference tourism exhibition IBTM WORLD 2021, which opened its gates yesterday in Barcelona and will last until tomorrow, Thursday, December 2. This is an extremely important B2B exhibition, which brings together the main players in the international tourism market MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions), which was inaugurated by the Secretary General of EOT Dimitris Fraggakis.

With high expectations for the further development of conference tourism, EOT is participating in IBTM World 2021, with 23 co-exhibitors, including the Region of Central Macedonia and the Municipality of Athens with This is Athens, but also conference centers, hotel groups, travel offices and exhibition companies.

Meetings with important institutions

Mr. Fraggakis held – within the framework of the exhibition – professional meetings with representatives of important market players, such as: the International Association of Professional Congress Organizers (IAPCO), the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and the European Cities Marketing (ECM) . At the same time he visited the headquarters of the Barcelona Tourism Organization, Barcelona Turisme, where he had the opportunity to discuss with its executives, possibilities of cooperation and good practices for the promotion of city break and professional tourism.

As the Secretary General of EOT stated: “Conferences and business trips have decreased dramatically during the pandemic. This resulted in serious damage to this sector and to the tourism of Greek cities that have had a significant presence in conference tourism over time. At IBTM, I had the opportunity to discuss with international institutions the measures and initiatives that need to be taken internationally in order to restart the conference tourism industry. Greece invests in this, supporting partnerships of Greek destinations with important players in the world market, such as the extremely important partnership agreement, signed in Barcelona between the EATA of the Municipality of Athens and IAPCO. We still have a long way to go for the recovery of conference tourism but I am optimistic that with hard work we will succeed “.

Dozens of professional meetings of EOT and its co-exhibitors with important buyers and specialized professional associations with a strong global presence have also been planned during the exhibition.

EOT, with its participation in IBTM World, presents Greece as an important and safe destination in the tourism industry of conferences and events.

Participations
At IBTM World 2021, 368 destinations from around the world are screened and participating:

374 conference centers / facilities,
228 organizers of professional events,
272 professional travel associations
213 destination management companies and
15,000+ MICE market executives with presence / activity in more than 100 countries.