PCOs See Interest Rise for Greece at IBTM, Global Industry in Good Shape

IBTM 2015

HAPCO @ IBTM 2015 – Thodoris Hristidis, Director of Sales & Revenue, Radisson Blu Park Hotel Athens; Valia Bourbi, Meetings & Events Sales Manager, Radisson Blu Park Hotel Athens; Anastasia Zarhoulakou, Operations Manager, Mykonos Luxury Travel; and Dora Sgartsou, HAPCO Communication & Marketing Officer.

Greece was a key destination of interest for visitors and buyers at this year’s IBTM World, formerly EIBTM, despite the challenges the country is currently facing, the Hellenic Association of Professional Congress Organizers (HAPCO) said in an announcement on Thursday.

IBTM World is the leading exhibition for the conference, incentives, events, business travel and meetings industry.

“This can allow everyone to remain optimistic for the coming years, since there is a demand for Greece”, the organization underlined.

At IBTM, HAPCO was a co-exhibitor at the stand of the Greek National Tourism Organization. The association was represented by its communication & marketing officer, Dora Sgartsou, who was on call throughout the days of the trade show to inform international professionals on Greece’s conference facilities and possibilities for holding future meeting and events.

Global industry in good shape

According to the annual Industry Trends Watch Report presented at IBTM, corporate, association and incentive travel is on the up.

“Connections means everything” was a theme of the week of IBTM, and with more than 80,000 appointments scheduled before the start of the show, many more were added with trade visitors. This year levels were at an all time high with Spain’s economic recovery helping the boom and adding extra appointments and business opportunities for the 4,000 Hosted Buyers attending.

“The Spanish economy is clearly on the rise, we knew about it before the show but the stats so far illustrate that the country’s events industry and that of Europe in general is back to centre stage. Many exhibitors have been telling me about the quality of business they are doing with international meeting planners as well as those planning regional specific events in the country,” said Graeme Barnett, Senior Exhibition Director, ibtm world.

IBTM World 2016 will take place November 29 – December 1 at the Fira de Barcelona.