More than 400 event profs gathered at the Pullman London St Pancras this week for the first micebook EXPO re-Engineered, our biggest event to date.

We were thrilled to welcome more than 200 corporate and agency buyers who participated in pre-booked appointments across the two-day event (21-22 March) with a broad range of international and local exhibitors. Brands and agencies attending included Barclays, Dell Technologies, Cognizant, TTA, Goose Live, CWT M&E, TAG, Owl Live, BI Worldwide and many more.

Chetan Shah, micebook CEO and founder, said: “For our first EXPO designed to reconnect the industry post pandemic, we had over 500 people register, 222 buyers attend, 430 pre-booked meetings, 70 EXPO partners from over 25 countries, 14 content sessions with 50 speakers, 1 Nineteen leaders meeting with 18 CEO and MDs and raised money for Ukraine. There was a huge amount of positive conversation as well as tangible briefs that were discussed with many of EXPO partners and whilst we are not out of the woods yet, the live sector is roaring back. We have learnt a lot from our first EXPO and overall the initial feedback on the format looks really positive and we already have many ideas to improve it for our community in 2023.”

Highlights from the first day included presentations on self-care and avoiding burnout, the corporate planner perspective, connecting with local people and cultures through events and the metaverse. We also gathered our agency leaders for a face-to-face session on tackling the talent shortage and ended the day on a high with our RELEAF spring-themed party.

Day 2 included a sustainability session on delivering COP26 with Identity and key partners, the corporate perspective with EMA featuring corporate buyers across Europe, a masterclass in designing impactful events with some of our V Award winning agencies and London Regenerated.

Throughout both days, our EXPO floor was buzzing with people meeting and connecting. Exhibitors included DMC Advantage, Accor, Cvent, Ennismore Hotels, Explore Edmonton, nhow London, Visit Belfast, SO Vienna, Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau, The Savoy, Waldorf Astoria, Corinthia Hotels, Melia Hotels International, JG Collection, Malaysia Airlines, NYC & Company, Visit Norway and Hong Kong Tourism Board, plus many more.

Heidi Williams, planning manager, sales & marketing at BI Worldwide, said: “It’s been such a great event, reconnecting with suppliers and listening to some really informative and insightful panel discussions. I’ve enjoyed the balance in format between set appointments and the freedom to meet with others on more of an ad hoc basis. This has made it easier to talk about a brief that dropped just yesterday with relevant suppliers that I didn’t have when booking my appointments. The dedicated workspace area has also been really valuable in terms of being able to balance the time away from the office.”

Jo Beeson, account director at BCD Meetings & Events said: “It was so fabulous to connect again with so many valued partners and to talk about existing enquiries and new opportunities, to engage with other event planners and agencies and to hear the interesting content in the live panel sessions. We so appreciate the sheer effort that goes into these things which we know is no small feat and I’m very thankful for the opportunity to participate.”

James Dowson, managing partner at the DMC Advantage, added: “We at DMC Advantage were delighted to support micebook by exhibiting at the first Expo along with four of our DMC partners. As ever with micebook events we found the show to be well organised and extremely well supported by the UK events industry which recognises the pioneering role micebook plays in generating collective spirit. We were thrilled to receive briefs and chat to old friends and new about what we can offer in our destinations.”

Photography by Jonathan JT Taylor @ Aniseed Photo