Breathtaking? Surprising? Spine-tingling?

 I would say all of the above. On a first-timer, IBTM has a magnetic force. I guess everyone before attending an event for the first time has this habit to read about it as much as possible creating a mental image picturing how it will be.

Even though I saw only good pictures from the past editions, when it comes to IBTM reality is better.

DAY 1, the 29th of November

I am entering Fira Gran Via for the first time. A team of young and smart-dressed girls guides me towards the desk where I can print my badge and then I get inside the venue. From upstairs, I can see a huge, colourful hall where people move around exactly like ants in a labyrinth of stands.

I get down the stairs and I can feel already the energy of the event- everyone moves fast, looking up and down and suddenly I notice the signs that show you where you are. Letters and numbers everywhere guide you in this small universe built up inside Barcelona’s biggest convention centre. It is a universe where everyone loves to travel and help others do that, too, whether it is leisure or business. I find my way towards the first meeting and happily I arrive in Turkye- their stand is blue like the sea and a huge wall has water running on it reminding me of a trip to Antalya.

One by one, every meeting prepares me for the next one. I can spot the passion in their eyes and sometimes I learn about their fascinating careers. All the meetings make me feel like I am already part of this universe and at the end of the day I feel like I don’t need a map anymore. At the end of the day, it looks like no one wants to go home.

Day 2, the 30th of November

Getting off the bus, I can see everyone knows exactly where to go now, which may be a sign that all of us felt the same at the end of day 1. I check my schedule for the day and I notice I still got time to move around. So I just grab a coffee and go stand by stand- it feels like a globetrotter is able to walk around all the countries in the world in an hour. I get a wonderful chocolate swan made in Brugge from the Brussels stand, I smell freshly ground coffee from Brasil and Colombia. Two superb young women from Korea, wearing traditional clothes smile to me waving their beautifully painted fans. I keep going wondering where I will end up next, and suddenly I see several men in suits having a meeting – and then I figure out they represent a very popular hotel chain. Towards the end of the stands area, the energy is the same and people are all smiling and ready to go.

On the second day, you can easily notice that people are more focused and dive in easier into the conversation. Every participant has a full agenda for the day and I move on fast track from one meeting to the other. Everyone is open to discussions, questions are more than welcome and shaking hands at the end is a tradition.

For the first time, I feel exhausted but it is hard to let this universe behind. My shuttle bus is right on time and I go back to the hotel taking notes in my agenda.

Day 3, the 1st of December

 Every ” last ”day is haunted by the meaning of this word.  I can see now that Fira Gran Via looks again huge as fewer and fewer people are here- trolley bags are everywhere and you can see who has to catch a flight soon.

On this third day, most of us have fewer meetings to attend. While I move around from one stand to another, in an urge to find the booth for my next meeting, I see people hugging each other and I realize some of them are friends in real life. For these people, this is not just an event focused on business, but also a family reunion. I guess travel industry has this hidden power to bring people together and connect them forever.

Last meetings happen fast and in a second I exhaust my agenda.

As I am not ready to say goodbye, yet, I sneak into the workspace where Nook Event Pods has arranged multiple house-shaped offices- for those who need to send a few urgent emails. For 30 minutes, I get absorbed in work and from time to time I look around. Just a few metres away, there is the East Lounge for Hosted Buyers. From time to time, someone takes a seat in front of me and opens the laptop. 

I take one more walk around the stands, say goodbye to those who recognize me in the crowd and I finally get the courage to try henna painting for the first time at the Abu Dhabi stand where the line is shorter for the first time in three days.

IBTM Barcelona 2022 was wonderfully organised including minute details that made everyone’s participation better. Despite the size of the well-known Fira Gran Via Convention Center, it was impossible to get lost. A huge, smiling team of youngsters where there at all times to guide, supervise and answer to any questions regarding the event.

Lunchtime was a well-deserved break especially if you had your team with you to share impressions.

Getting back to the bus, I saw an announcement that made me smile: see you next year at IBTM 2023, 28-30 November. The only question is: will I meet you there?