An exciting and colourful entrance at Earls Court, exhibitors ’raising the bar’, as well as a large central marina feature sponsored by Media 10, were the three stand outs that International Confex show director Alison Willis picked out at her opening press briefing, 1 March.
“This year our hosted buyer programme is up to 150, with another 120 buyers and agents coming through our ‘Discovery’ programme in conjunction with VisitBritain,” said Willis.
This year’s show at Earls Court, London, also sees the launch of an Association Day and a special student conference on the last day, the only day 250 specially qualified students are allowed to attend.
Willis predicted “broadly the same number of stand sharers” for 2011.
She pledged more investment in International Confex when it moves to London Excel in 2012, including the resources that UBM Live would have put into its now cancelled Event UK show in the autumn.
“You might as well move in an Olympic year,” she said of plans to move east, and envisaged more opportunities for hosted buyers at the 2012 inaugural London Excel event.
UBM Live Confex Portfolio Director Jonny Sullens told Conference News that he hoped visitors to the show would be inspired to make their own events even better, having come to Confex.
“Our big central themes, aside from the marina feature and bar hub, are technology and the creativity and dressing of the stands,” said Sullens.
International Confex 2011 runs at Earls Court London on the 1 to 3 March.
