IT&CMA 25th Anniversary
Remember the time when we first kicked off the event in Hong Kong or when we first co-located with CTW Asia-Pacific? We are ever so grateful for the support that all delegates, partners and community had provided us.
Here’s a throwback on how we had progressed throughout the years!
In 1995, pre-scheduled appointment capabilities were added to facilitate structured meetings between buyers and sellers, eventually incorporating features such as perfect-matching (1996) and online diary facilities (2005).
Today, 100% of appointments can be made ahead of arriving into Bangkok and is one of the key value propositions delegates can access to better plan their business conversations and maximise their time on the show floor.
Along with the Associations sector gaining more traction in 2009, the show further met demand by opening Media Briefing segments and destination presentations (2011) with a luxury travel component incorporated in 2012 to broaden business opportunities.
Back when seminars and plenary sessions were thrown in as supplementary activities at tradeshows, IT&CMA recognised the need for delegates to find inspiration to better complement their business objectives.
Over time, knowledge-building was cultivated specific to the diverse goals of MICE professionals by developing education tracks tailored to different segments. These included hands-on Campfire Knowledge Sessions, a dedicated Association Day programme (2013), and the ASEAN MICE forum (2015) to advance the Asian market.
The Future Leaders Forum, in partnership with IMEX, MPI and MCI, also kick-started in 2003 to inspire the very best students and young adults to challenge conventional thinking and practices within the industry and mould a career in MICE.
Besides the official event functions, networking events progressed to include targeted sessions that suppliers and partners could take advantage of to build an audience exclusively around their brand. This made engagement easy and relevant, thus heightening ROI for sponsors.
Since the first sponsored luncheon in 1993, the request for branded hosted luncheons, dinners, and networking cocktails have been steadfast. From 1996, pre- and post-show tours by NTOs and CVBs were designed to give buyers a tangible sample of products and services available and to take engagement past mere tradeshow days.
At 2016’s edition, 18 NTOs, CVBs, corporates and organisations snapped up close to 30 captive engagement sessions, propelling networking possibilities higher than ever before. An increasing number of brands are also collaborating with the event to engage the marketplace with roadshows and FAM trips in the lead up to IT&CMA.
