Media registration is open for IBTM World 2026, the leading global event for the business events and experiences industry. Over 2,500 destinations, hotels, venues, event tech suppliers, and event startups are expected to attend this year’s event, to meet with more than 12,000 international event professionals for three days of serious business, useful learning and connections that continue beyond the event.
Please register here to receive your complimentary media pass for the event, which returns to its iconic home at Fira, Barcelona from 17 to 19 November 2026.
This year’s event will focus on The Age of Disruption, reflecting the real pressures shaping the industry today, including rapid AI adoption, tighter budgets, rising attendee expectations and increasing demand to demonstrate event ROI.
Delivering the event’s opening keynote will be historian, Sunday Times best-selling author and internationally recognised speaker Dr Eliza Filby. ‘Now and Next: Understanding People in a Changing World’ will examine how profound disruption is changing who we are, how we connect and our experience of the world.
Launching day two’s Exceptional Experiences programme will be bestselling author and leading global thinker Will Storr. In his session, ‘The Storytelling Brain: what neuroscience tells us about creating experiences that stick’, Will explores the neuroscience behind why some experiences stay with us long after they end.
Additional IBTM World 2026 highlights include:
- IBTM Ignite – Delivered in partnership with allpoints and running across all three days of the show, IBTM Ignite will connect more than 30 startups with 15+ investors, as well as potential customers and partners. Participants will receive pitch and investor-readiness coaching, a meetings diary with guaranteed appointment blocks and a live Future Stage pitch, giving emerging companies a practical route to build their profile and pipeline.
- The Skills Exchange – A new collaborative learning experience where event professionals can put new ideas into practice. Whether joining a Lunch & Learn, Brain & Brew or Sips & Skills workshop, Skills Exchange is a dynamic, community focused setting which blends curated learning with networking.
- Hotel Pavilion – Reflecting its continued appeal as a dedicated showcase for the hotel and hospitality sector, the Hotel Pavilion is set to be bigger and more diverse than ever, convening a mix of returning and new brands.
- Event Tech and Services zone – Gathering AI platforms, registration systems, production technology and experiential suppliers in one place, planners can explore solutions side by side and speak directly with providers to identify the tools that best fit their events.
- AI for Events – Demo Day LIVE – New for 2026 and delivered in partnership with Boldpush, this series of live demonstrations gives attendees the chance to see how AI is already transforming event planning.
Attending IBTM World 2026 also gives you access to incredible networking opportunities with some of the industry’s leading international association and corporate buyers, global suppliers, and destinations.
Author: Sam Hyland
Sam is the assistant content manager for Event Industry News (EIN). Sam is involved in publishing news stories, videos and podcasts. Sam also collates the latest stories for the EIN e-newsletter. If you have a press release or story you think we might be interested to know about please email features@eventindustrynews.com
