12 April 2002
A battle royale looks set to erupt in the European incentives and meetings trade show circuit next year.
That’s when the founders of EIBTM, Ray Bloom and partner Paul Flackett, will launch their new show, IMEX 2003.
Pitched head-on to compete with their former show, IMEX will be held in Frankfurt in April, just a month before EIBTM, which Bloom sold to Reed Travel Exhibitions.
At the same time, EIBTM could be on the move – five cities have been shortlisted to become the new home of EIBTM in 2004.
Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Vienna and incumbent Geneva are in the running and managing director of RTE, Tom Nutley, said a decision on who would host Europe’s biggest incentive and meetings trade show would be decided by the summer.
At the same time, RTE is also reviewing the dates of the event, which has been held in May since its inception more than 10 years ago.
Nutley said RTE was carrying out a survey among attendees to determine the best timing for the event. “We are reviewing May.”
RTE’s decision on EIBTM 2004 – the venue and timing – will be critical to determining the continued success of the event.
It is clear battlelines are being drawn up by EIBTM and IMEX to ensure who will emerge winner in the long run.
Asked if he was concerned about the new show, Nutley said, “Yes, it is direct competition. RTE runs 11 shows and I have never launched a competitive event. We go into shows when we see a market gap or we acquire an exisiting show or we work on management contracts such as what we do with AIME.
“For years, I talked to Ray about EIBTM and always said, if you are ready to sell, let’s talk. I never considered competing against EIBTM.
“Looking at the market, there are only two ways I would consider competing – when the buying cycle is a six-month cycle and when the market is big enough for two shows.
“For example, World Travel Market and ITB – that worked.”
For IMEX to position itself a month before EIBTM is “direct competition”, Nutley said.
“When we acquired EIBTM, I did not imagine the owner would ever relaunch the event to compete with the event he created.”
RTE had a non-competitive clause of three years which Nutley said was fairly standard in the UK.
He said he was concerned “because the industry is already having its problems. The airlines have reduced capacity, this will lead to higher prices and you need airlift to run international events.
“Destinations are also suffering at the moment and two events are going to cause disruption in the industry.”
James Reed, managing director of Destination Asia, who has attended seven EIBTMs, said, “I’d like to see it stick to May, it’s perfect timing for us. “As for IMEX in 2003, do we really need another show? I find EIBTM great for our business and I am unsure if there is a need for another show targeting the same market at approximately the same time of the year.
“Look at ATF, ITB and PATA Travel Mart – there are too many shows.
“I am definitely going to EIBTM in May 2003. They have to convince me to go to Frankfurt.”
Jim Papineau, deputy general manager-sales and marketing, Suntec Centre, Singapore said, “There are too many shows and they have to prove they can deliver customers before we go.
“It is ironic that the people who are starting IMEX were the ones who built up EIBTM into the grand-daddy of events. I mean, if something is good, why try to knock it?”
Lee Loong Koon, director-events and cruises, Singapore Tourism Board, said the board had not made a decision yet on IMEX. “Usually, we will observe what happens with the first show before we do. Unless there are compelling reasons, we usually do not attend first-time events.”