Meeting and event professionals from around the world will be coming together this week for two days of inspiration, education and networking at The Meetings Show, which is preparing for its biggest show to date.
Taking place on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 June at Olympia London, The Meetings Show will bring together more than 4,500 industry professionals, including over 700 exhibitors and more than 900 hosted buyers already signed up.
Following the hugely successful launch of a new two-day format in 2018, this year the show has seen significant growth in mid to long-haul destinations exhibiting, its education programme has been revamped with exciting new formats for sessions, and for the first time the show is offering dedicated initiatives to support young and up-and-coming talent in the industry.
To help you plan your visit, here are some of the highlights of The Meetings Show 2019.
Pre-Show Conference
Focus on this year being a sell out. A sell-out success in 2018, the Pre-Show Conference returns on Tuesday 25 June to offer exclusive educational opportunities to attendees of the three-day Hosted Buyer programme. Held this year at the Olympia Conference Centre, the conference will be opened with a keynote from one of the UK’s leading economists, Gerard Lyons, then followed with dedicated streams for agency, corporate and association buyers.
Hosted Buyer Welcome Reception
Hosted buyers will be getting into the swing of networking at the Tuesday evening Hosted Buyer Welcome Reception, taking place at hi-tech mini-golf venue Puttshack. Attendees will be able to vie for their place on the leaderboard for the night, while catching up with industry friends old and new ahead of the main show opening on Wednesday 26.
Inspiring exhibitors
With more than 700 hotels, venues, destinations and suppliers to the industry in attendance, visitors will be able to find all the inspiration they need for planning their next event. Walking the show floor, you’ll notice an increased international presence – 18% greater year-on-year – thanks to a whole host of new exhibitors, as well as many familiar faces from last year returning with bigger and better displays. You can see the full list of exhibitors here.
Engaging education
This year The Meetings Show is shaking up its education programme with sessions including expertise from outside of the industry and insight shared in a variety of unusual formats, including a courtroom trial, a dramatic performance and a live teambuilding pitch exercise. The Technology Tour will offer speed meetings with innovative suppliers and campfire sessions will provide the chance to participate in small-group discussions to get to the bottom of any burning issues.
Tomorrow’s Talent
The Meetings Show is celebrating and championing the rising stars of the industry with its Tomorrow’s Talent initiative. Launched in December 2018, Tomorrow’s Talent has sought out the 10 brightest under 30s from event agencies, associations, venues and suppliers to the industry to offer a platform for furthering their careers. The 10 winners will be in attendance at the show, and meeting with fellow event professionals at the MPI Foundation Cocktails for Charity event at 5pm on Wednesday 26.
The Future of Meetings
Once again, The Meetings Show in partnership with the Meeting Design Institute has selected the five most promising start-ups in the meetings technology sector to be shortlisted for The Future of Meetings Award. All five nominees will be exhibiting on the MDI stand and the winner will be announced on Wednesday 26 at 16:30.
The Meetings Show takes place on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 June at Olympia London. For more information and to register as a visitor, visit www.themeetingsshow.com/register. Join in the conversation and find out who else is attending by using the hashtag #MeetYouAtTheShow.
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