BTC 2010, the Italian trade show for the meetings, events, conferences, incentive travel and business tourism industry, came to a successful close on 2 July at the Fiera di Rimini Exhibition Centre, amid the general satisfaction of those present.
The new summer date and the move to Rimini proved to be popular decisions, praised by exhibitors, buyers and visitors alike.
In particular, they gave very positive assessments of the exhibition centre, for the quality and modernity of its facilities, its excellent organisation and the many services provided.
The decision to host BTC in Rimini proved to be winning, with participants recognising it as the ideal venue for the show: they praised its human scale, which made it easy to get around, its advantages as a seaside resort, which added another dimension to its social programme, and its established conference network, which enabled product and service synergies providing excellent support.
“We are very happy with the show this year, which bore out the innovative choices we made”, said Paolo Audino, Managing Director of Exmedia, the company that organises BTC.
“The appointments between exhibitors and buyers went well, the show’s offer was compact but exhaustive, and the buyers were considered to be of high level. Throughout, BTC satisfied the needs of all participants and generated a positive atmosphere, which assured us that we had made the right choices and done some good work."
"From here, we will seek to relaunch and consolidate the show, setting out in a new direction that increasingly reflects the market and the needs of industry operators and professionals”.
The educational programme was a great success, with extremely high attendance at the 27 seminars held over the two days of BTC, demonstrating the interest in the issues covered.
With topics as diverse as how to acquire international business, the presentation of data from the Italian conference market survey Osservatorio Congressuale Italiano, credit for SMEs, delayed payment for events, Generation Y, client management, new regulations on CME, the analyses of European markets, the event as a strategic tool, budget management, experiential communication and events in 3D, the six educational tracks dealt with the most current issues for the industry, and received an excellent response.
Seminar recordings, with the relative PowerPoint presentations, are available on the BTC website.
Finally, the social programme’s two networking evenings, the medieval banquet in San Marino and the BTC Beach Party, were both very well received.
The dinner in San Marino was held under the stars in the beautiful Piazza della Libertà, a magical and suggestive atmosphere for a night that included aperitif and medieval menu, entertainment provided by musicians and flag-wavers, a procession in period costume and the release of lanterns into the sky.
The ambience at the BTC Beach Party, held at the Turquoise Beach Club, was more “festive”: the buffet was followed by games on the theme of matching the opposites, which involved the participants in a crescendo of activities conducted faultlessly by coaching company ioè, culminating in an excellent DJ set with dancing on the beach until the small hours.
“These successes are proof that we have managed to communicate a strong change and identify the right formula for a show like BTC, which must first and foremost be focused on business, but must also be taken beyond the stands so that participants’ professional skills and relations between people can be strengthened through education and networking,” says Gabriella Ghigi, Exhibition Manager of BTC.
“We will now continue in this direction: we have a year to plan an even fuller BTC, but we will also work to offer exhibitors greater continuity with the market, starting with the new workshop dedicated to the meetings industry that will take place at TTG Incontri [the international B2B tourism show], to be held in Rimini in October”.
BTC will therefore return in 2011, to the same city and at the same time of year: the exact dates of the show will be announced in the next few days.
