This year I was lucky enough to attend IBTM as part of a group hosted by Mags Shaw from Mags Worldwide. Having been a few years since I last had the chance to attend IBTM, I was excited to network, learn and meet with friends both old and new. 

The trip started off with an early meet and greet at London Heathrow where we met with Lianne Arkle from All About Flights who had helped organise our travel there and back. After a smooth flight, we landed in sunny Barcelona which was a nice change from the cold temperatures we had left behind in the UK. (Fun fact: the average temperature in Barcelona during November/December is 14°C, which is great for events/groups needing a bit of winter sun!) 

We travelled straight to the Grand Hyatt Barcelona, where we were staying for two nights. Upon arrival we were met with Christian Wilk (Senior Director of Sales at Hyatt Hotels) who gave us all a warm welcome to the property. Christian represents a wide array of Hyatt properties across the globe and is based in London. As event agencies, building strong industry connections is a core aspect of what we do. This ensures that when a new client brief arrives, we can immediately connect with the right person within our network to bring our client’s vision to life!

The Grand Hyatt Barcelona

... offers an impressive array of versatile meeting spaces, each tailored to meet diverse needs. Notable among them is Zuu, a former nightclub transformed into a private event space with a capacity for up to 250 guests. Zuu would be the perfect venue for a showstopping evening to conclude a conference or event. It offers delegates the ideal setting to unwind and celebrate after a productive day of meetings, and really has the ‘wow’ factor when you first walk in!

Another standout space is the Pool Bar Terrace, ingeniously repurposed during the winter months (from October to Easter) into the Pool Marquee. This innovative solution involves installing a sturdy temporary floor over the pool, maximizing the use of available space. This area is an ideal setting for events featuring al fresco dining, offering a welcoming atmosphere that’s perfect for both the cozy charm of winter and the vibrant energy of summer.



Additionally, the hotel boasts 22 meeting rooms, perfect for any event needing multiple breakout spaces of all shapes and sizes; most of which feature excellent high ceilings (something we are always on the lookout for), abundant natural daylight, and a clean, modern aesthetic throughout.

We went on to inspect the different room categories the hotel has to offer. The Grand Hyatt Barcelona has 465 rooms in total, 410 of which are ROH – a mix of deluxe, and premium deluxe categories – topped off with a range of suites for higher end luxury. All rooms in this 5* hotel are very modern in appearance, yet they still retain a sense of familiar charm.

We concluded our tour in the hotel's tapas restaurant (Sofia Bar & Tapas) where we were treated to a delicious dinner. The food was divine and we sampled a range of starters, from Iberian ham platters and grilled goats cheese, to croquetas and (of course) patatas bravas! The main course was octopus with broken potatoes - something a bit different to the norm for most of us. We finished off the evening with a local dessert; éclairs with crema catalana. 

Day 1

Up early and rearing to go, we headed over to the Fira Barcelona, where IBTM was taking place. Upon arriving at the event, I was impressed by how IBTM was embracing sustainability, something we also strive for at our own events. Recyclable badges and lanyards were provided for all delegates, reflecting a clear commitment to eco-conscious practices. Additionally, I noticed exhibitors incorporating recyclable elements into their stands, such as seating - a forward-thinking approach that felt truly future-focused.

My day from here was filled with back to back meetings with some of the global DMCs Mags represents here in the UK, and it was a fantastic opportunity to make new connections and learn about different destinations for events. Did you know that hidden beneath Cappadocia’s exquisite landscape, there are over 50 underground cities, all built into the rock faces, including a variety of cave hotels; or that there are over 1,244 islands to explore in Croatia? (Please get in touch if you want to learn more fun facts!)

After a productive day, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our offsite dinner at Can Travi Nou (as organised by Buzz Spain). Can Travi Nou turned out to be a wonderful venue, housed inside a typical 17th-century farmhouse. With lots of flexible space for group/private dining, we were treated to a private room where we all sat round the same table - such an intimate setting which really made you feel at home and allowed conversation to flow. It’s a perfect offsite dinner option for groups/events with great access for coaches/transport.

The food that followed was local, delicious and very generous in portion size! To start, we were served Fideuá (noodle paella with squid, mussels and prawns), followed by roasted piglet knuckle with rosemary scented potatoes (everyone had empty plates at the end of this course and the meat was perfectly cooked)! To finish, we had black forest cake followed by the introduction of a local tradition – to share a drink of dessert wine served from a porrón (a distinctive glass pitcher with a narrow top and a long spout, reminiscent of a watering can). The idea was to drink as much as you can from the porrón by pouring the wine into your mouth from a distance, before passing it to the next person and so on. It was a lively, entertaining tradition and the perfect way to cap off the night. Looking back, I can think of several events I’ve managed in the past where this setting would have been absolutely perfect for the group!

Day 2

Kicking off day two, I arrived bright and early for the first talk of the day, The Power of Human Connection by Simone Heng. 

As someone who is currently reading her book, Let's Talk About Loneliness, I was really excited to hear what she had to say about the importance of events in relation to one of the most basic human needs – connection. As expected, it was an enthralling talk where she offered the perspective that in a world that is rapidly developing in the digital/AI space and where people are increasingly isolating themselves from each other thanks to technology, face to face events and networking have never been so important.

Ultimately, the need to connect with others is deeply ingrained in human nature, dating back to the days of cavemen. It’s through meaningful connections that we feel truly supported, fulfilled, and aligned with our purpose. Events play a vital role in fostering these connections, strengthening relationships, and making us feel part of something greater than ourselves. There is no better way to truly connect with your audiences, share a message or create such a collective sense of union. This perfectly aligns with the message we consistently emphasise to our clients here at Activate, and is something we continuously reflect when designing our events. It’s about both embracing the modern, digital world we now live in, whilst still highlighting the importance of face-to-face networking and events. Safe to say the 30 minutes flew by…

Following the opening talk of the day, I began my second day of networking (and connecting!) – both engaging in my pre-arranged meetings with suppliers and exploring everything else IBTM had to offer.

Using this day as a chance to listen and learn from others in the industry, I took the time to attend two other talks throughout the day, in between my meetings.

The second session was a compelling talk on Behavioural Psychology and How It Impacts People and Events by Jules Griffith from mccglc and Ele Mather from PwC. They presented a strong case, emphasising the importance for event professionals to understand the modern psyche of their delegates. By doing so and crafting experiences that resonate with core human psychology whilst engaging all five senses (including smell), events can become truly immersive, leaving audiences not only entertained but also deeply connected to both the brand and the message. At Activate we always like to think outside the box to make our events memorable, working in partnership with our clients to create truly unique experiences that always leave a lasting impact. 

A final talk that I managed to attend was on The Gravity of Life – How to Grow from Adversity, Stress, and Uncertainty by Bo Krüger, a moderator and motivational speaker. He stated within his talk that “when you work in the events industry, you have to become friends with stress”, something which I feel every event professional can relate to – after all, we are experts in the management of stress.

It was interesting to learn how Bo argued that instead of fighting against stress, we should be ‘vaccinating’ ourselves from it, in turn something that will help enable us to develop better coping mechanisms when the pressure of events really ramps up. I thought his positive spin on stress and adversity was a fresh take on things and not something that is normally spoken about. Some of his suggested ‘vaccines’ to stress included ice swimming (for the physical shock and learning to cope with this), recreational fear (such as going on rollercoasters, or watching horror movies) to stepping outside your comfort box (such as taking up improv comedy)! The team here at Activate takes pride in our ability to handle stress and adversity, ensuring that our clients always benefit from a seamless experience as we take the pressure off them. That said, it’s always valuable to learn new tips and tricks that we can use to further vaccinate ourselves against stress, maybe a team trip to Thorpe Park is on the cards!

After another jam packed day, it was time to pack up and depart for the UK. Reflecting on my experience at IBTM, I can confidently say I thoroughly enjoyed every moment connecting with the people that make up our wonderful industry. This year’s theme, People, Power, Potential, couldn’t have been more fitting.

Emily Salvage, Project Manager