The Global CEO Summit (GCS) is an invitation-only conference for CEOs and equivalents from international exhibition organisers and venue operators. Participants can look forward to high-level networking with global industry leaders, exclusive CEO insights on challenges and opportunities ahead, and future-focused strategies shaping the exhibitions sector.
The Summit brings together the most highly-qualified incentive travel buyers with top incentive destinations, hotels/resorts, cruise lines, DMCs, DMOs, technology and merchandise providers, and tourism offices from around the world. Attendees participate in one-on-one pre-scheduled appointments, gain industry insights from our guest speakers and network with this exclusive group of incentive specialists.
The Forum gives emerging professionals a genuine voice — and a seat at the table — empowering them to challenge assumptions, share bold ideas and help shape the future of our industry. This event is open to ICCA members, Observers association executives, and students of any age, though priority will be given to Young Professionals.
The Visitor Experience Expert Meeting offers a mix of incentive and exchange opportunities for all attendees, so participant diversity is of great importance. This event is for managers and TIC front office professionals coming from small and large cities and working for either public or private tourist information organisations – CityDNA members or not.
The AIPC Operational Excellence Summit offers a high-level forum for convention centre professionals navigating increasing operational complexity, rapid technological change, and rising expectations around sustainability, security and customer experience. It is designed for the people who actually make events happen, from operations directors and operational excellence leaders to technical, AV, ICT and facilities managers.
The congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis demonstrates the impact of Barcelona Convention Bureau’s Legacy Programme, where intentional impact planning brought scientific advances closer to patients, encouraging their participation in research, whilst educating Barcelona’s business community about stigma around MS and building more inclusive workplaces. From Boardroom…
The 19th International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes took place in Barcelona in March, gathering 5,300+ participants, in-person and online. The conference showcased the latest innovations and connected endocrinologists, diabetes care providers, researchers and industry professionals from around the world to drive forward the future of diabetes treatment. From Kenes Group…
A study by the Barcelona Institute of Economics reveals that Fira de Barcelona generates over 49,000 jobs, contributes a GVA of €2.96bn (≈1% of Catalonia’s GDP), and produces an annual economic impact exceeding €6.1bn, with growth of 28% in the last five years, mainly in commerce, hospitality, transport, and local industry. From Meetings International…
European city destination leaders gathered in Barcelona in February for the 19th CityDNA CEO Meeting. Hosting the meeting in Barcelona was symbolic – few cities have more visibly navigated the political, social and structural pressures surrounding urban tourism. European destination CEOs addressed a central reality: the role of the Destination Management Organisation has fundamentally evolved.
Step into the global hub of the events community. IBTM World is where connections spark ideas, collaborations fuel transformation, and the business events industry shapes what’s next. Three days in Barcelona to meet, share, learn — and move the world forward. Meet 2,500 destinations, hotels, event tech providers, and suppliers from 150+ countries.
The Summit offers a high-level forum for convention centre professionals navigating increasing operational complexity, rapid technological change, and rising expectations around sustainability, security and customer experience. Designed as a hands-on, peer-driven event, the Summit focuses on how to deliver complex events smoothly, safely and sustainably both today and in the years ahead.
Industry leaders gathered in Barcelona during 2025 IBTM World to address key advocacy issues facing the industry, and to identify what collective actions could be taken at high-level and what work needs to be done at the local level where business event impacts are most visible and relevant to policymakers and other place leaders.
For the fourth year in a row, ESAE (European Society of Association Executives) curated and organised IBTM World’s Association Leadership Forum in Barcelona last November. International and European association leaders explored ways to design their meetings strategy in a less transactional way, and instead to use these events to drive forward the Mission and Vision…
With an extensive career covering venues, associations, international conferences, and global corporate strategy, Maritz’s Chief Global Strategy Officer Ben Goedegebuure has established himself as one of the industry’s most respected voices. His work reflects a deep commitment to positioning business events as powerful enablers of economic development, knowledge exchange, societal progress, and global collaboration.
Join peer CEOs to discuss and strategize about the future of your organisation, share best practices in innovation, change management. From budget constraints and political changes, digital transformation in the visitor experience, sustainability and shifting visitor behaviours, we will explore key challenges faced by our DMOs’ leadership and explore key paths for success and transformation.
This interactive session is designed for CVB professionals to exchange ideas, share best practices, and engage in peer-led discussions on key industry topics. After the discussions, we’ll continue with a networking reception, providing the perfect opportunity to connect with industry peers before IBTM World begins.
The Annual Conference brings together members to consider key industry issues and hear from top professionals in a variety of related fields. A global gathering for convention & exhibition centre managers and industry partners to share best practices, explore innovations, benchmark performance, build networks and tackle challenges across operations, sales, marketing, sustainability and facility management.
The AIPC Operational Excellence Summit provides an engaging forum for discussing the issues and opportunities faced by convention centers in times of changing requirements, digitation and sustainability. Amongst the areas to be explored will be risk and crowd management, security and cybersecurity, changing tech requirements, responding to new event formats and the renewed importance of…
IBTM World is the leading global event for the meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) industry, taking place annually in Barcelona. Our event has one goal; to inspire the events industry to deliver exceptional experiences for their customers. We bring together the global meetings industry, with everyone having that one common purpose – to meet…
The AIPC Operational Excellence Summit provides an engaging forum for discussing the issues and opportunities faced by convention centers in times of changing requirements, digitation and sustainability. Amongst the areas to be explored will be risk and crowd management, security and cybersecurity, changing tech requirements, responding to new event formats and the renewed importance of…
From Boardroom: Turisme de Barcelona has officially unveiled its Barcelona Convention Bureau (BCB) Legacy Programme, a strategic initiative designed to amplify the positive impact of congresses and events held in the city, extending their benefits far beyond their duration. As explained by BCB’s director, Christoph Tessmar, “the point is to generate an impact that has…
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