First Keynote Speaker Revealed For IBTM World 2022

IBTM has announced Salesforce event lead Gareth Kelly as the first keynote speaker for IBTM World 2022, which takes place at Fira, Barcelona, from November 29 to December 1.

As head of Salesforce’s entire events and experiences portfolio across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Gareth Kelly is also responsible for overseeing EMEA at its legendary Dreamforce event. The 2022 event welcomed 150,000 attendees, either in person or on its digital platform Salesforce+, represented over 100 countries, and showcased innovations that turned its audience of attendees into fans.

Kelly, senior director and Head of Strategic Events EMEA, will explore how Salesforce uses its empowering and inspirational events to bring better business results and create meaningful cultural experiences for businesses.

He comments: “This is an exciting time for our industry as we take the opportunity to rebuild, post-pandemic, in imaginative and innovative ways. Events don’t exist in isolation, they have the power to create far-reaching and positive change in business, culture, and society. It will be invigorating to share the knowledge and experience Salesforce has gained, particularly through our Dreamforce event, with so many interesting and like-minded people at IBTM World, and inspire them to continue building a legacy of visionary events which enhance and bring great benefit to today’s modern business landscape.”

Additional expert speakers confirmed for IBTM World include Tom Roach, VP brand strategy at Jellyfish, who will present a talk titled, ‘In a World of Change, what won’t? The 7 Principles of Effective Brand-Building Creativity.’ In his session, Roach will suggest that although marketers are fascinated with change and the technology that is driving it, there is something more important that never changes: the human brain – the hardware that all this new technology runs on.

Despoina Zachariadou, lead immersive UX Designer, creative technologist VR/AR and creative director at Jack Morton Worldwide, will give the lowdown on the metaverse and why it matters. Adolfo Pahissa Lopez, who leads the Experience Design team as Head of Creativity for technology trend forecasters at NTT DATA Europe & LATAM, will investigate why it is vital to adapt and meet the expectations of Gen Z in order to survive and thrive in today’s market.

On IBTM World’s Accelerate Stage, which showcases interactive discussion, new ideas and inspirational short talks, Grant Dudson, influencer and creative director at Chorus, will discuss event technology past and future. As one of the leading creative voices in the industry, Dudson will reflect on the journey of event technology through the eyes of a creative and speculate about what this means for the future for technology innovation at events.

David Thompson, event director, IBTM World, comments: “Our market-leading education programme has been designed around the theme of culture in all its forms, and the sessions on technology are no exception. Post-pandemic, we’ve all become that much more immersed in and open to the incredible potential of technology, and we’re delighted to share a host of wonderful sessions which dive into that theme. Gareth Kelly is a powerhouse of knowledge and experience, and his session will be inspirational for everyone looking to take their events to the next level.”

IBTM World’s innovative Knowledge Programme will include a packed schedule of sessions on connections, business, careers, brands and experiences.

The event brings together the world’s leading buyers and suppliers for three days of quality one-to-one business events, networking and inspirational education sessions. The flagship Barcelona show has confirmed many of the world’s best-known destinations and suppliers. Technology-focused exhibitors confirmed to attend include Cvent, Conference Compass and Parthen Meeting Services.

For more information, visit www.ibtmworld.com