The Meetings Show
The Meetings Show is the UK's leading annual B2B trade exhibition for the MICE industry, held at ExCeL London and operated by Northstar Travel Media, LLC. It connects 500+ venues, hotels and destinations with 1,000+ qualified hosted buyers through pre-scheduled appointments and education programming.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Meetings Show does
The Meetings Show is an annual B2B trade exhibition for the UK meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) industry, held at ExCeL London and operated by Northstar Travel Media, LLC through its Northstar Meetings Group division. Founded in 2013 and now in its 12+ year, the show runs over two days and brings together hundreds of exhibitors (561 in the 2025 edition) and qualified hosted buyers (1,484 in 2025), generating 16,051 pre-scheduled one-to-one appointments. It is self-described as the UK's leading exhibition for the events, meetings and incentives community and is recognized through the AEO association partnership ecosystem.
The core product is the in-person exhibition, but it is layered with a web-based registration and Hosted Buyer Diary scheduling platform, an event mobile app, and an education programme spanning three stages. AI-generated session summaries are delivered through a partnership with Snapsight, photo delivery is handled by GetPica, and the annual The Meetings Show Playbook is produced with Lim visualizers. Sub-brands extend the offering: The Meetings Show Asia Pacific serves the APAC market, Connect 365 is a monthly newsletter reaching 40,000+ subscribers, and two online sustainability courses (introductory and advanced) provide year-round educational revenue.
The business model combines exhibition stand fees from suppliers (sold as one-time/multi-year packages), sponsorship packages (a mix of cash and contra arrangements covering logo placement, email banners and media distribution), and free admission for qualified buyers under a freemium model. Distribution is run by an internal sales team (VP Sales EMEA, Account Directors), with buyer recruitment handled by a dedicated Hosted Buyer Operations function. The company's geographic footprint is concentrated in the UK with an emerging APAC extension, and it sits within a larger diversified travel media conglomerate rather than as a standalone venture.
The Meetings Show firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Meetings Show
- Legal name
- Northstar Travel Media, LLC
- Website
- https://themeetingsshow.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Meetings Show is the UK's leading annual B2B trade exhibition for the MICE industry, held at ExCeL London and operated by Northstar Travel Media, LLC. It connects 500+ venues, hotels and destinations with 1,000+ qualified hosted buyers through pre-scheduled appointments and education programming.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Meetings Show industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trade Exhibition (MICE Events)
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industry-Specific B2B Trade Show Organizers (THAHABAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Conference & Trade Show Registration Platforms (THAHAFAB)
Keywords
Where The Meetings Show is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Meetings Show business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
Revenue model
- Exhibition Stand Fees: Revenue is generated from exhibitors who purchase stand space at the show. Stand packages are available at varying sizes and configurations, with different pricing tiers for space-only options.
- Sponsorship Packages: Partnerships and sponsorships including official partner status, logo placement, magazine distribution, email banners, website banners, app banners, exhibitor profiles, blog posts, and social media promotion. Partnerships are structured as contra agreements (non-monetary exchange).
- Buyer Registration: Free attendance for qualified buyers within the events industry, with separate options for visitor buyers, hosted buyers, students, and exhibitors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free admission for qualified buyers |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Exhibitor stand packages |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Sponsorship packages |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Meetings Show product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Meetings Show organizes an annual B2B trade exhibition at ExCeL London for the meetings, incentives, conferences, and events (MICE) industry. It brings together hundreds of exhibitors (venues, hotels, destinations, DMCs) and thousands of qualified buyers through a hosted buyer programme featuring pre-scheduled one-to-one appointments, alongside an education programme of multi-stream sessions. Revenue is generated from exhibition stand sales and sponsorship packages, while buyer attendance is free.
Product overview
The Meetings Show is a single, unified trade exhibition product — the UK's leading event for the meetings, incentives, and events community — rather than a modular software platform. The core product is the annual two-day in-person exhibition at ExCeL London, which is complemented by several supporting offerings: the Education Programme with AI-generated session summaries via Snapsight; the Hosted Buyer Programme with diary platform and fam trips; The Meetings Show Playbook (produced with Lim); and two online sustainability courses (introductory and advanced) hosted on The Complete Sustainable Events Course platform. Additional touchpoints include the Media Hub/Connect 365 newsletter and GetPica photo delivery service. The show's technology infrastructure includes an event app for appointment booking, though no public API or developer programme is offered.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Meetings Show Asia Pacific: A regional edition of the show serving the Asia Pacific market
- Connect 365
- The Sustainable Events Course
- The Advanced Sustainable Events Course
Products and services
- The Meetings Show (Main Exhibition) The UK's leading trade exhibition for the meetings, incentives, and events industry, held annually at ExCeL London. Brings together hosted buyers, visitor buyers, and exhibitors for two days of appointments, networking, and education.
- Hosted Buyer Programme Programme connecting qualified buyers with exhibitors through pre-scheduled one-to-one appointments and presentations, including a proprietary diary platform, fam trips, and welcome reception.
- Education Programme Multi-stream educational content featuring sessions on three main stages, covering industry trends, sustainability, AI applications, and professional development for event planners.
- The Sustainable Events Course Introductory online sustainability course covering core principles such as travel, catering, and event production, available on-demand for industry professionals.
- The Advanced Sustainable Events Course Advanced online sustainability course providing deeper dive into sustainability as a discipline and its application to events.
Companies that use The Meetings Show
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Meetings Show technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature4 records
The Meetings Show partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ExCeL LondoncoreVenue Partner hosting The Meetings Show at ExCeL London exhibition centre. The venue provides the physical location for the annual two-day exhibition.
- EventwellcoreWellbeing and Neurodiversity Partner providing expertise on accessibility and wellbeing initiatives for show attendees.
- OneWorldRentalcoreOfficial Tech Partner providing technology solutions for the event including hardware and technical infrastructure.
- islacoreSustainability Partner working with The Meetings Show on sustainability education and best practices. isla provides content including objection cards for sustainability conversations.
- Meeting NeedscoreCharity Foundation Partner - the event industry's charitable foundation that connects the global meetings and events community with charitable causes. The partnership includes strategic collaboration across Northstar products.
- NipperboutminorOfficial Crèche Partner providing childcare services at the show, making The Meetings Show the first event industry trade show to offer dedicated on-site childcare.
- TeamTogsminorOfficial Uniform Partner providing staff uniforms for the event.
- PresenterminorContent Production Partner responsible for producing show content and session recordings.
- ABPCOcoreAssociation Partner - The Association of British Professional Conference Organisers is a key professional body partner for the show.
- ICCAcoreAssociation Partner - International Congress and Convention Association, a global association partner.
- MIAcoreAssociation Partner - Meetings Industry Association, a UK industry association partner.
- AEOcoreAssociation Partner - Association of Event Organisers, recognized by AEO Awards.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Meetings Show competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- RX Global (Reed Exhibitions): RX Global is the exhibitions arm of RELX and operates IBTM World plus a broad portfolio of B2B trade shows across multiple industries. It is a broad incumbent because it competes in the same MICE exhibitions space while also operating adjacent exhibition categories at much larger scale.
- Informa Markets: Informa Markets operates one of the world's largest B2B exhibition portfolios across multiple verticals. It is a broad incumbent because it competes for both exhibitor wallet share and global trade show audience in adjacent categories including travel and events.
Others
- Cvent: Cvent is a leading event management software platform that also operates Cvent Connect, an annual industry conference for event professionals. It is an adjacent peer because while primarily a technology vendor, it overlaps with The Meetings Show through its buyer community and conference business targeting the same event planner audience.
Direct peers
- IMEX Group: IMEX Group operates IMEX Frankfurt and IMEX America, the two largest MICE industry trade exhibitions globally. It is the most directly comparable peer because both run hosted-buyer trade shows serving the same supplier and buyer ecosystem in the meetings and events industry.
- IBTM Asia Pacific: IBTM Asia Pacific is the regional APAC edition of IBTM World. It is a direct competitor to The Meetings Show Asia Pacific sub-brand, serving the same hosted buyer audience across the Asia Pacific MICE market.
- AIME (Asia Pacific Incentives & Meetings Event): AIME is the leading MICE trade exhibition in the Asia Pacific region, held annually in Melbourne. It is a direct competitor to The Meetings Show Asia Pacific sub-brand and serves the same hosted buyer audience across corporate event planners and suppliers.
- IBTM World: IBTM World is the flagship MICE trade exhibition operated by RX Global (Reed Exhibitions). It is a direct peer because it serves the same hosted buyer/supplier marketplace for the global meetings and events industry with a similar hosted buyer programme.
- IMEX America: IMEX America is the Americas-focused edition of the IMEX MICE trade exhibition. It is a direct peer because both events target the same hosted buyer-supplier matching format for the meetings and events industry in their respective geographies.
Emerging players
- The Business Travel Show: The Business Travel Show is a UK-based B2B trade exhibition focused on corporate travel buyers and suppliers. It is an adjacent peer with partial overlap because it serves a related buyer community (corporate event/travel managers) within the same UK events industry ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Meetings Show social profiles
Digital presenceThe Meetings Show financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Meetings Show leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Meetings Show funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Meetings Show M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Meetings Show
What does The Meetings Show do?
The Meetings Show organizes an annual B2B trade exhibition at ExCeL London for the meetings, incentives, conferences, and events (MICE) industry. It brings together hundreds of exhibitors (venues, hotels, destinations, DMCs) and thousands of qualified buyers through a hosted buyer programme featuring pre-scheduled one-to-one appointments, alongside an education programme of multi-stream sessions. Revenue is generated from exhibition stand sales and sponsorship packages, while buyer attendance is free.
Is The Meetings Show a public or private company?
The Meetings Show is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was The Meetings Show founded?
The Meetings Show was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Meetings Show based?
The Meetings Show is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Meetings Show make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Exhibition Stand Fees are the primary driver. The others are sponsorship Packages and buyer Registration.
Who are The Meetings Show's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are RX Global (Reed Exhibitions) and Informa Markets. Cvent is listed as an others. Direct peers are IMEX Group, IBTM Asia Pacific, AIME (Asia Pacific Incentives & Meetings Event), IBTM World and IMEX America. The Business Travel Show is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Meetings Show have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Meetings Show.
What industry is The Meetings Show in?
The Meetings Show's product category is Trade Exhibition (MICE Events). Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHABAB, Industry-Specific B2B Trade Show Organizers, with a secondary code of THAHAFAB, Conference & Trade Show Registration Platforms. Its NAICS code is 56192.