Back to News Menu                           Cruise News for the Corporate Travel Professional                                                 July 2014

The Trade Show season opener  saw the Worldwide team at the AIBTM Show at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. The show which is currently floating between Orlando and Chicago was somewhat sparsely attended by both Exhibitors and Visitors.  However, possibly because of the Hosted Buyer Program the Worldwide booth was a busy spot with our appointment books completely full for both days of the show.

As in the past a couple of our cruise line partners - Celebrity Cruises and Azamara as well as our preferred local DMC - Stuart Gardner of Florida Meeting Services shared part of the booth.  This arrangement has over the years proven to be a beneficial arrangement both for Exhibitors and Visitors to the booth as it concentrates the cruise lines in one area as well as making available a most competent South Florida DMC to handle shore side arrangement.

The Convention Center is a vast and impressive complex capable of handling numerous show simultaneously as indeed was the case over the date of the AIBTM show. Located as it  is on International Drive it gives both visitors and exhibitors a large choice of  hotels, restaurants and so on in the immediate vicinity of the Center.

The Show's owners, Reed Exhibition have stated that it's American hosted-buyer event would be reinventing itself for 2015. With a new name —IBTM America 2015—the next version of the four-year-old Americas Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exposition will be limited to just 250 senior corporate, association, government, and third-party decision-makers who do business in the U.S. as well as abroad. This will be a considerable downsizing: AIBTM drew approximately 1,200 buyers to this year’s show.

The number of exhibitors—40 percent of which will be international and 60 percent U.S.–based—also will be limited to 250 to achieve a one-to-one buyer/supplier ratio. This year’s event had 500 exhibitors. The 2015 show will be in June in Chicago. According to AIBTM Marketing Director Jamie Rosov, show organizers are still considering options for the event venue.

The trade show experience also is being re-imagined. According to a statement, all exhibitors will be provided with identical, turnkey, pod-design 8-foot–by–8-foot booths, both to provide a level playing field and to reduce exhibitor costs by eliminating freight, drayage, and other setup and tear-down fees. Exhibitors and planners will choose who they have appointments with using a mutual-match system. Each individually invited and vetted hosted buyer will be required to attend 30 pre-scheduled appointments over two exhibition days (15 per day). There will be breaks throughout the day for more networking and also to help build the community.

IBTM America 2015 will retain its educational component as education is such a huge driver for the U.S. hosted buyers. IBTM America’s Knowledge Forum will still offer the CEU credits they need for their continuing education.

To many people Orlando represents in their mind - Disneyland  and the numerous other Entertainment Parks and such like but aside from the parks Orlando has much to offer, the actual center of Orlando is Winter Park, the oldest part and a most pleasant tree lines shopping and restaurant area.   Having spent quite a lot of time in Orlando over the years I have come to favor one of the newer areas.. Dr. Phillip's - it is close to the exclusive Bay HIll area, in recent years it has become a popular alternative restaurant and entertainment area.

All of the team who worked the show where delighted to see so many colleagues and clients during two days of the show.  We` thank you for your interest and are always pleased to meet with you even if only for a chat .

If you where unable to make the Orlando Show you can meet the Worldwide team at several other venues both in the USA as well as Toronto, Canada and Barcelona Spain. We look forward to meeting with you at these venues as 2014 rolls along.

Worldwide Travel & Cruise Assoc., Inc.

150 S. University Dr.  Ste E, Plantation, FL 33324 - USA

Tel: +1 954 452 8800  Fax: +1 954 252 3945

EMail: sales@cruiseco.com

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