Reed Exhibition’s ibtm china (www.cibtm.com) exhibition is China’s leading incentive, business travel and meetings event annually bringing together a broad mix of Chinese, Asian and international Mice suppliers and buyers for two days in Beijing.
TTN was invited to attend the event’s recently concluded 11th anniversary and reports packed knowledge seminars, 400 hosted buyers from 49 international destinations as well as 360 exhibitors from 26 countries. 'In the past 11 years starting from 2005, ibtm china has become the only state-level Mice international exhibition in China and is a large and successful Mice-dedicated international exhibition in Asia. ibtm china 2016 plays a significant role in building Beijing into an international Mice tourist destination,' Cao Pengcheng, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development said.
We spoke with Cici Chen, senior project manager, ibtm china, for further details. 'We are very pleased with the show this year – it’s been a great success. We introduced a number of new initiatives such as the Innovation Zone, which proved to be very popular. The zone was designed to give suppliers of innovative technology for the meetings and events industry a platform to showcase their products to the Chinese Mice industry, and it was a busy area of the show floor. We also saw some 400 hosted buyers attending from over 49 countries, as well as more international exhibitors on the show floor this year, reflecting the growing interest in the Chinese outbound market, and have received positive feedback from our exhibitors on the quality of buyers attending the show.'
'The strategy for ibtm china when it launched was simple – to provide the platform for the development of the meetings industry in China and the immediate region, bringing together the inbound, outbound and domestic markets and that remains at the heart of what we do today. The feedback we’ve had to date has been very positive and continues to cement our position as a successful international Mice show in China. As a team, we continue to be dedicated to developing and evolving ibtm china to meet the needs of the industry and look forward to welcoming you next year for another successful edition of ibtm china.'
Within the context of the GCC, she says, 'We have been struggling a little bit with the Middle East market. We would very much like for exhibitors from the Middle East to come and exhibit in China. People in our region don’t really know much about the Middle East market, what it has to offer in terms of Mice. Apart from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, no destination is really exposed, and even these destinations do not seem to be putting much focus in Mice. Dubai has done a lot of consumer-driven roadshows and they are mostly into the leisure market.
'We would like to understand what kind of business the Middle East really wants. For instance, Korea wants large incentive groups from China – we’re talking 10,000-strong groups. Switzerland, however, is not suitable for such large incentive groups as it is expensive. Similarly, we would like to know from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and other cities from the Middle East, what kind of incentive business they would like from China.'
With Chinese passport holders being granted visa on arrival into the UAE from September this year, there is expected to be a surge in visitor numbers. In February, UAE officials said that 450,000 Chinese visitors made a trip to Dubai in 2015, in a 29 per cent increase over the previous year.
China has a 72-hour visa waiver for certain countries in the Middle East such as Qatar and the UAE. Since January 30 this year, passengers holding these passports transiting in Shanghai, Jiangsu or Zhejiang can even enjoy a free stay of up to 144 hours.
'Even if we are not very close geographically, there is a lot we can do,' says Chen. Beijing is the capital of China and very well connected with the Middle East. We are seeing a lot of interest from international destinations, for instance, Washington DC is exhibiting with us this year. China National Tourism Administration is actively promoting inbound travel to China and perhaps they could help promote the destination better with the Middle East market.'
Staff reporter
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China World Hotel, Beijing
HAILED by some media houses as the ‘best hotel in the world’, China World Hotel was TTN’s host for the trip. Ideally located in the heart of Beijing’s diplomatic and business district, it is the leading address for discerning travellers visiting the capital of China. The award-winning hotel with its highly acclaimed restaurants, stands tall over the China World Trade Centre complex, including the China World Exhibition Centre and shopping mall, home to global luxury brands.
The hotel has the largest portfolio of conferences and meetings venues in Beijing, including a 2,000-capacity Conference Hall, an 800-seat Grand Ballroom and a host of superbly appointed function rooms to suit all occasions.
Johan Chan has recently joined the team as the director of sales and marketing, and says, “China World Hotel is an iconic landmark in Beijing, which witnessed the rich history and rapid development of this capital city; we are thrilled to unveil our newly renovated and refreshed guestrooms, suites and apartments in 2017, which are a new visual and experiential testament to the warm, welcoming and gracious hospitality. These are exciting times for the hotel and I look forward to working with our dynamic sales and marketing team to bring continued success to our growing portfolio.”
The property boasts 716 rooms consisting of 622 guestrooms and 94 suites.