From June 21st – 23rd, Puerto Rico will be represented at the meetings and conventions industry’s most highly-anticipated and newest tradeshows: AIBTM, The Americas Meetings & Events Exhibition.
Held in Baltimore, AIBTM is the first large-scale exhibition to bring together the world’s entire meetings and events industry in one U.S. location.
The Puerto Rico Convention Bureau will have a major presence during the show, with an iPad2® giveaway promotion for meeting planners who visit the Puerto Rico booth and partake in a SMOOTH Meetings Survey.
The iPad2® giveaway package includes a white 16GB iPad2®, iPad Smart Cover, Apple wireless keyboard and portable speakers.
The promotion aims to demonstrate how Puerto Rico combines a sophisticated meetings infrastructure with an element of fun to provide groups with a memorable and exceptional SMOOTH Meeting experience.
Also as part of the AIBTM tradeshow, Puerto Rico will be securing one-on-one meetings from a pool of nearly 2,000 qualified meeting planner attendees, plus 1,000 additional meeting planner attendees.
In addition, AIBTM show organizers conduct regular tradeshow floor tours, bringing meeting planners directly to the Puerto Rico booth and making introductions between Puerto Rico representatives and top site selection executives.
Other Bureau member-suppliers participating at the show to ensure a high-profile, significant destination presence on behalf of Puerto Rico includes the Puerto Rico Convention Center Pedro Rosselló, the San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino and Travel Services, Inc.
AIBTM 2011 attendees are comprised of the major decision-makers for meetings, incentives, conventions and business travel both in the U.S. and from key international markets. The event will deliver 3,000 meeting professionals, 2,000 of which are individually qualified Hosted Buyers, who are the top influencers for domestic and international business.
One of the key industry tradeshows for promoting Puerto Rico as a meetings and convention destination, Elisabeth Shipman, AIBTM’s Hosted Buyer Manager explains, “Our Hosted Buyers are the top decision makers in the industry and they realize our program is the most effective use of their time."
"Over 700 global exhibitors are available at their disposal for one-to-one meetings. Hosted Buyers choose which suppliers they want to meet with based on their business objectives, they then select eight pre-scheduled appointments per day. This focused approach guarantees that time is maximized and their business goals achieved.”
AIBTM is the central focus of America Meetings Week, a joint partnership between Reed Travel Exhibitions and the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and Convention Industry Council (CIC) that will surround the two-day AIBTM tradeshow. PCMA will host their Education Conference within America Meetings Week and CIC will host its Hall of Leaders Gala on Tuesday evening.
The goal of America Meetings Week is equip buyers and suppliers with the tools needed to create more effective meetings and events through world-class education and networking opportunities.
It also aims to raise the profile of the meetings and events industry to the wider business market and political community across North America, focusing on the economic contribution which meetings and events make to the economy, the number of jobs supported and the positive benefits which effective meetings and events bring to business development and communication.
