AIBTM, the American meetings industry exhibition, has forged closer links with a North American planners' association to boost the number of hosted buyers attending the show.

Steve Knight, AIBTM project manager, announced an exclusive 'strategic partnership' with PCMA, the professional convention management association, to meetpie.com at EIBTM today.

As part of the deal PCMA will deliver 500 'senior planners' to the Baltimore-based exhibition, which attracted 740 hosted buyers (and 806 trade buyers) when it launched in June this year.

“PCMA has also put significant investment into the creation and management of our education sessions, as well as contributing to the Executive Edge programme and the CEO Summit,” said Knight.

He said AIBTM was also working closely with SITE, the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives, to swell the number of buyers at next year's show and would be hosting the organisation's next Young Leaders' Forum.