Get set for The Meetings Show!

The meetings, events and incentives community will come together this week to make valuable business connections, learn and network as The Meetings Show returns.

The UK’s leading platform for the world’s meetings and events community will be officially opened tomorrow (Thursday September 30^th) by Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston at ExCeL, London.

Hundreds of international and UK destinations, hotels, venues and event suppliers will be present while more than 40 hours of education can be accessed during the show, which continues on October 1^st, both live at ExCeL, London and virtually on the Swapcard platform.

Here are some of the highlights of The Meetings Show 2021:

Inspiring exhibitors
Korea Tourism Organisation, VisitDenmark and Gibraltar Tourist Board are just a handful of the international destinations ready to help planners find the perfect location for their next meeting or event while a large number of UK destinations, including Conference Leeds, Meet Leicester and London Convention Bureau will be doing the same.

Many exhibitors, such as new venue Sage Gateshead, BMA House in London, BWH Hotel Group, Butlins Conferences and Events, Lime Venue Portfolio and Shocklogic have news to share making The Meetings Show a must-attend for visitors hoping to stay in-the-know as well as plan their next meeting, event or incentive.

Quality hosted buyers
The Meetings Show attracts a high calibre of hosted buyers and this year is no exception. Event planners who have signed up to the Hosted Buyer Programme this year come from some of the world’s biggest businesses and organisations, including American Express, Barclays, Deloitte, John Lewis Partnership, National Cancer Research Institute and the NHS, as well as event agencies such as DRPG, Live Union and Top Banana.

Activities for hosted buyers this year include a welcome reception at the Museum of London Docklands and a party at the Hard Rock Hotel, London, organised in collaboration with Moulden Marketing.

Education, education, education
The Meetings Show’s engaging education programme, curated by new conference and content manager Erica Oghoghorie, will provide visitors with insight and information designed to help them build a better business and career.

The programme has been separated into five learning streams – Innovation and Industry Trends, My Career and Personal Development, Event Marketing, Event Technology and Meetings Design – to make it easy to identify the sessions most suited to individual needs.

More than 40 hours of content will run across sessions on both days of the show, covering topics such as sustainability, diversity and inclusivity, networking, data and hybrid meetings and events.

Headlining the education programme is keynote speaker Ric Salmon, producer of the first virtual Glastonbury and CEO of Driift. Don’t miss Salmon when he takes to the main stage on Friday 1 October at 11:50 to talk about his experience in producing the landmark event Live at Worthy Farm. 

Tomorrow’s Talent
The Meetings Show celebrates and champions the rising stars of the industry through its Tomorrow’s Talent initiative. Winners from 2020 and 2021 will be in attendance at the show and meeting with fellow event professionals as they celebrate their success. 

Spotlighting sustainability
The Meetings Show has teamed up with Anna Abdelnoor, co-founder of isla and Andy King to launch a new certification for event and meeting planners, who are looking to drive their organisation’s sustainability strategy.

Those wanting to find out all about the Complete Sustainable Events Course, which starts in the week commencing 8 November, should head to isla’s stand throughout the show to find out more.

Jack Marczewski, event director, The Meetings Show, said: “There are just a few days left before The Meetings Show opens its doors at ExCeL and on our virtual platform and I am so excited to be able to bring the meetings, events and incentives community back together again. Our team has worked incredibly hard to deliver a show full of quality exhibitors, speakers and industry leaders and we can’t wait to welcome you all. There is still time to register and attend what is expected to be a busy and eventful two days.”