BARCELONA — IBTM Events announced last week that IBTM World 2020 that is scheduled for December 8-10 is going virtual.
According to IBTM, the “difficult decision” was made as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the unpredictable travel restrictions that are in place across the world. 
“Whilst we have been planning positively for a live event in December, and we know that people want to get back to meeting face-to-face, the situation across Europe and the wider world remains very changeable. Therefore, even though the show is still some months away, we believe we have a responsibility to provide clarity to enable our partners, exhibitors, buyers and visitors to plan for the future,” said David Thompson, event director. “This has been a difficult decision to take and we are very disappointed that we will not be able to bring the industry together in person in 2020 – the first year since 1988 that IBTM World will not take place as a live event. Our team and our partners in Barcelona have worked incredibly hard on IBTM World and while we are very sorry that the face-to-face event will not take place, we are confident that moving to virtual allows us to still provide a place for the global business events industry to gather and to do business.”
The new virtual show will take place from December 8-10, and according to organizers, will include one-on-one meetings between exhibitors and buyers and educational sessions.
Shane Hannam, portfolio director, added: “We remain extremely grateful for the understanding and strong support from our partners and customers across our global portfolio throughout this pandemic and sincerely wish everyone a swift return to normal life soon. We are committed to Barcelona as a host city for IBTM World in 2021 and look forward to returning next year to meet with as many customers and partners in person as possible.”
For more information, visit www.ibtmworld.com.
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