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2nd November, IBTM World: IBTM Ignite is bringing a growing pool of $4m in potential investment together with ambitious startup businesses, as its mentoring and workshop programme prepares founders for introductions to investors at IBTM World.Delivered in partnership with specialist consultancy allpoints, Ignite is moving through its onboarding phase, with more investors joining and a greater pot to pitch for. Early work with participating businesses is revealing ideas across the event experience, from live AI interpretation, such as Voicefrom AI, to event operations technology, including KNO Events’ tools for managing budgets, suppliers and logistics.In audience engagement, businesses such as Bridged Media are helping organisers turn interest into registrations and commercial opportunities. Always Friday combines AI agents with event specialists to simplify corporate event planning and delivery, while platforms such as Sessionboard help teams coordinate speakers, submissions and programmes.As well as supporting the acquisition and onboarding of the investor community, allpoints is delivering the mentoring and workshops for the start-ups already on the Ignite programme. The team is helping founders strengthen their propositions and prepare for conversations with investors whose experience spans building, backing, acquiring and exiting businesses.Max Fellows, Founder and CEO of allpoints, said: “We’re discovering some brilliant businesses through the mentoring and workshops. Getting to know these founders and seeing how they’re tackling problems across our industry has been really exciting.“As we work together on their propositions and pitches, that potential becomes clearer. I know our investors will be delighted by what they see. With $4m in potential investment there’s a tremendous opportunity to make connections that help these businesses grow.”Ignite will once again match participating businesses with relevant investors, alongside opportunities to meet customers and commercial partners. Future Stage pitching, the Ignite Lounge and access to the buyer diary will connect founders withthe international industry community attending IBTM World in Barcelona, 17–19 November 2026.Claudia Hall, Exhibition Director, IBTM added, "The quality of the start-ups this year has been excellent, and they represent a real diverse view of the future of the industry. We're already getting really positive feedback from the onboarding, and we know the investors will be delighted with the businesses on show. It looks like a really strong programme."Places on the Ignite programme remain available for now, with interested startups and scale-ups invited to contact the IBTM World team as preparations continue

Coastal Cruises Poole is calling on residents, businesses and visitors to help fill a boat with Christmas presents through Santa’s Harbour of Hope, a community appeal supporting Amelia’s Rainbow, Ashley’s Birthday Bank and MYTIME Young Carers.The message is simple: when shopping for Christmas, buy one extra gift for a local child or young person who needs a little extra kindness this festive season.Donations of new, unused and unwrapped gifts will be collected until Sunday 6 December 2026, helping turn the generosity of the local community into a boat full of Christmas magic.The appeal welcomes gifts for all ages, from babies and toddlers through to teenagers. Suggested donations include toys, games, LEGO, sensory gifts, cosy blankets, gifts for teenagers and gift vouchers.Carol Scott, Managing Director of Coastal Cruises Poole, said:“Santa’s Harbour of Hope is about bringing our community together to make Christmas a little brighter for local children and young people.“If you’re able to buy one extra present while doing your Christmas shopping, that small act of kindness can become part of something really special. We would love to see families, businesses and community groups joining together to help us fill the boat with Christmas magic.”Gifts can be dropped off at:Coastal Cruises office, Cobbs Quay Marina, BH15 4EL — with free parking for drop-offs. (turn left through barrier and next to powerboat training UK)The Coastal Cruises Blue Kiosk, The Quay, Poole, BH15 1HJ.Aboard Solent Scene, Island Scene or Fortuna on Poole Quay.Local businesses are also invited to get involved by organising staff collections, donating gifts or helping spread the word to customers and colleagues.Coastal Cruises Poole will collect and sort donations before handing them to the three partner charities, which will arrange distribution to the children and families they support, sensitively and confidentially.Whether it is one present from a family or a collection from an entire workplace, every gift will help bring the appeal closer to its goal: a boat filled with kindness, generosity and hope.One harbour. One community. A boat full of hope.

28th October 26: New, research from the International Corporate Events Network (ICEN) supported by Cvent, has revealed that 79% of corporate event professionals say senior stakeholders recognise the strategic value of events, yet just 13% find budgets easy to approve.The ICEN Corporate Events Benchmarking Report 2026/2027 exposes a significant disconnect between corporate recognition of the value of events and the ability of event professionals to secure investment. It cites that while 79% of respondents rate their senior stakeholders’ belief in the strategic value of events highly, at 4 or 5 out of 5, just 13% describe event budgets as easy to approve.The findings suggest that corporate events are no longer struggling to demonstrate their strategic relevance. Instead, they face a more fundamental challenge: establishing a consistent, credible way of measuring their contribution to wider business performance. The report identifies this as a “currency problem”, with event teams and financial decisionmakers often lacking a shared language through which to assess value, compare performance and justify continued investment.This disconnect is reflected in the objections event professionals face when seeking budget approval. Almost half (45%) say the most common challenge is an inability to measure return on investment (ROI), ahead of concerns around timing, cost cutting and cost per head.At the same time, 54% identify proof that events generate measurable pipeline or revenue as the single most valuable piece of evidence they could use to justify their programmes internally. Yet only 37% say they can clearly evidence pipeline or revenue contribution.The report also exposes a continued reliance on traditional measures of event success. While 83% of respondents measure registrations or attendance, and 81% track post-event satisfaction, just 34% use revenue attribution.The challenge becomes particularly pronounced for organisations delivering larger event portfolios. Among respondents running 30 or fewer events annually, 22% find budgets easy to approve. This falls to just 4% among those managing 60 or more events, despite consistently high levels of senior stakeholder belief.However, the research also identifies practical opportunities to close the gap. Event teams using a documented engagement scoring model rate their ability to evidence pipeline or revenue contribution at an average of 3.71 out of 5, compared with 2.82 among those without a model.Similarly, respondents whose event technology integrates seamlessly with their customer relationship management (CRM) systems rate their pipeline evidence at 3.78, compared with 2.48 for those transferring data manually.Both findings demonstrate statistically significant associations between structured measurement practices and stronger commercial evidence, suggesting that improvements may be achievable through better use of existing data, rather than simply increasing technology investment.Anita Howard, Founder and CEO of ICEN, commented: “The findings reveal a fascinating contradiction. Senior business leaders increasingly recognise that events matter, yet the professionals responsible for delivering them are still struggling to translate that belief into approved budgets.”“The issue isn’t necessarily a lack of confidence in events, but a lack of common currency through which their contribution can be measured and understood. Attendance, engagement and satisfaction all matter, but they don’t always answer the questions being asked by finance teams and business leaders.“What this research shows is that there are practical ways forward. By agreeing common measures, connecting event data with wider business systems and establishing clearer definitions of success, event professionals can begin to make a much stronger case for investment.”The report also highlights the changing demands on corporate event professionals. Budget pressure and cost scrutiny are identified as significant challenges for the next 12 months by 85% of respondents, closely followed by proving ROI and commercial value at 82%.Meanwhile, AI tool literacy and data analysis and ROI reporting are ranked as the two most important skills event professionals believe their roles now require compared with three years ago. Despite this, only 19% report having access to a structured training budget and programme."Event professionals have worked hard to prove the power and value of their work to their senior stakeholders, and senior leaders do believe in it,” commented Felicia Asiedu,Marketing Director, Cvent. “But while belief is high, budget scrutiny continues to be a challenge. What matters now is shared measurement, so ROI is clear. When event technology connects to the CRM, teams are better placed to show how events influence pipeline and revenue. With the right foundations, events can sit alongside every other revenue driving channel in a business’ playbook."The report recommends closer alignment between events, marketing and finance teams, documented engagement scoring, better integration of event and CRM data, and greater investment in measurement skills.Anita concluded: “There is something fundamentally positive in these findings. The strategic importance of corporate events is already widely recognised. The opportunity now is to turn that confidence into a stronger, more consistent business case.“If we can establish a currency for event value that is recognised across events, marketing, sales and finance, we can change the conversation from what events cost to what they contribute.”The Corporate Events Benchmarking Report 2026/2027 is supported by Cvent and draws on research conducted between 3 July and 8 September 2026.