Major players in travel and tourism industry showing confidence in Lacime 2006

For the third consecutive year hotel chains Hilton, Intercontinental, Marriot and Sol Melia are sponsoring LACIME, alongside airlines Lan and Varig. LACIME 2006 will once again be the most important event for the incentive travel and meetings industry in Latin America and the Caribbean. Organizers Reed Exhibitions Brasil expect investment to reach some R$5 million in this year’s edition, which will be held on June 20-22 at Transamerica Expo Center in Sao Paulo. “Renewal of such important sponsorships demonstrates that these large players in the travel and tourism industry have confidence in both the technical capabilities and the business model behind LACIME 2006,” says Daisy De Marco, show manager for Reed Exhibitions Brasil. Confirmation of these sponsorships in 2006 is a crucial pointer to the event’s success, De Marco stresses, because the Hosted Buyer Programme is funded precisely by the companies in question. Under this programme key buyers in the global business travel industry are carefully selected and invited to attend prescheduled meetings with exhibitors from Latin America and the Caribbean who have booths at LACIME. According to a survey of hosted buyers who came to LACIME 2005, the average value of the business generated by or resulting from their participation was US$206,000 for 75% of the group. “That’s why the sponsors see this partnership as a customer retention and business development opportunity as well,” De Marco explains. “In addition to their enhanced exposure during the exhibition, the hotels accommodate visitors and the airlines transport hundreds of buyers from various parts of the world.” The many enhancements introduced for LACIME 2006 are an important additional attraction for sponsors and exhibitors in general. For example, this year’s Hosted Buyer Programme will focus on buyers from Latin America and the Caribbean. The process of identifying buyers with the most suitable profile for the event has been fine-tuned by appointing group coordinators – hotel chains, travel agencies etc. – to preselect potential hosted buyers from their own list of clients and prospects. “LACIME 2006 offers a special package of benefits that will certainly attract some 200 trade buyers this year. The target for each one will be to attend at least five prescheduled meetings with exhibitors on one of the show’s three days,” says De Marco. Some 250 hosted buyers are expected at LACIME 2006, more than 200 of them from Latin American countries. Besides prospecting and hopefully closing business deals, visitors to the show will be able to swap experiences and hone their technical knowledge by attending the Conference Cycle. “We want to give local and international buyers a chance to take part in a large-scale event like LACIME on a carefully planned basis,” explains De Marco. “They will be able to choose the presentations that most interest them in advance and know exactly what business meetings have been scheduled for each day of the show.” Theodore Koumelis – Monday, March 06, 2006