Marrakesh will host the m&i Fest

# tags: Events , Exhibitions , Meetings Industry

The event takes place in March 2024.

M&i announces a brand new MICE event, the m&i Fest, that will be held in Marrakesh, Morocco, 17-21 March 2024. This brand new event will gather buyers and suppliers, and will enhance the destination time and opportunities for meaningful connections and facetime. For the first time, m&i will combine the elements of a large trade show with the intimacy, quality meetings, and value of their long-running m&i Forums.

The event will have around 240 buyers and 230 suppliers. Richard Barnes, CEO of Worldwide Events who run m&i Fest commented; “After the devastating earthquake, we want to show our support for Morocco, and one of the most vital ways that all of us in the travel and events industries can do this is by continuing to promote tourism and MICE business to the country. Now more than ever it’s important to support Morocco, their people, and their local businesses, and all our partners are very keen to welcome delegates to m&i Fest next year”.

The programme is built around 3 core pillars: Develop, Discover & Celebrate. In the mornings there are 1-2-1 meetings where buyers and suppliers will have opportunities to create and develop relationships. In the afternoons attendees choose their own pathway, creating shared experiences between buyers and suppliers with the time to explore the destination and discover exclusive venues. Evenings are all about networking. “At every m&i event we always include a CSR activity. We don’t just intend to leave a footprint behind, we want to support and make a lasting impact on the community. We are working with our partners in Morocco to identify CSR activities at m&i Fest that will be most helpful to the relief effort and will support charities on the ground”, underlines the CEO.

The organisers hope that the festival nature of the event will encourage authentic relationship building, fostering an appetite to learn and reducing appointment fatigue. Barnes added; “Feedback from both buyers and suppliers is that they want a break from the trade show format of appointment followed by appointment, normally with a long walk in between. m&i Fest will have sessions that are business focused where RFP’s can be exchanged by legitimate buyers, and then sessions that allow more connection and content to be shared. In our research with both buyers and suppliers the feedback told us that creating connections and having engaging content whilst still allowing the serendipity that networking creates, are of key importance."