exhibitions: general exhibition news: IT&CMA; 90 percent sold out
IT&CMA; 90 percent sold out
Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT&CMA) has seen a surge in interest from national convention and exhibition bureaus with 90 percent of the show’s exhibition floor space sold out by the end of May. Increased space has already been secured by Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, Seoul and Korea, all committing to national pavilions 20-50 percent bigger than their 2009 participation.
“The increased participation affirms Asia-Pacific’s desire to further expand the meetings industry in Asia. Choosing IT&CMA is testimony of their confidence that the event can deliver superior business prospects,” said Darren Ng, managing director of TTG Asia Media, organiser of IT&CMA and CTW 2010.
Taking place at the Bangkok Convention Centre October 5-7 alongside Corporate Travel World (CTW) Asia-Pacific, confidence in IT&CMA remains buoyant despite the recent challenges in Bangkok. “The safety and welfare of our delegates is our utmost priority. As normalcy returns to Thailand we are confident that the event will be staged with minimal disruption,” assured Ng. Long-standing partner Thailand Convention and Exhibitions Bureau (TCEB) has also re-affirmed its support and commitment to making IT&CMA and CTW 2010 a success.
The team remains positive that industry demand will spur IT&CMA and CTW 2010 to outperform last year’s sales and delegate numbers. In addition to exhibitor bookings, the organisers have received more than 500 applications from interested buyers, corporate travel managers and media to date. These numbers are set to increase as marketing efforts heighten in the run-up to the event.
Asia-Pacific is expected to receive more than 100 million meetings delegates by 2015, up from 40 million in 2002. Corporate travel in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to make up about a third of a global market worth US$900 billion with China, Japan and India leading the way.
The 18th IT&CMA is expected to attract 2,000 delegates from more than 60 countries. Since 2004, IT&CMA has been co-located with CTW Asia-Pacific, an annual conference and exhibition on travel and entertainment management for the Asia-Pacific region.
Together, IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific 2010 cover a host of destinations and itineraries, inspiring products and services from India to Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Australia and New Zealand.
IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific will endeavour to ‘redefine MICE in Asia’.The event will kick off with an ICCA breakfast briefing on October 5. Other highlights will include an IMEX-MPI-IT&CMA Future Leaders Forum, sellers meet buyers sessions, and a packed educational programme. Pre-show city tours and post-show incentive trips will also be available.
Seminar sessions will include Buy Green, Sell Green, looking at options for meeting planners to host environmentally conscious events; A Bite of Association Meetings: Flavour of the Month of Indigestion – asking does the industry need some sort of insurance system to mitigate the fear that it may be biting off more than it can chew?;and Redefining Destination Marketing – what more needs to be done to set Asia apart as the hot spot for meetings?
The three-day exhibition, education and networking event will conclude with the TTG Travel Awards, taking place on October 7.
