IBTM Ignite, a unique programme connecting investors with the next generation of businesses shaping the future of the events industry, will return to IBTM World for 2026.
Delivered in partnership with growth consultancy and M&A specialist allpoints, Ignite combines investment-ready support, live pitching and structured introductions with access to the global IBTM World community – creating a route from early potential to real commercial opportunity.
Running across all three days of IBTM World 2026, IBTM Ignite will take place on the show floor at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona from November 17 to 19, 2026.
More than 15 investors are expected to attend IBTM Ignite, bringing experience, networks and investment insight to a curated cohort of emerging businesses, including Alex Martinez, Investor, Altb2b.
The challenge is clear. Business events are being reshaped by technology, changing customer expectations and relentless disruption, yet turning a promising idea into a sustainable business remains notoriously challenging. Just 38.4 per cent of UK businesses started in 2019 survived five years.
Since its launch, Ignite has already helped participating businesses secure £3.5 million in investment, demonstrating the role the programme can play in turning promising ideas into sustainable growth.
Ignite is IBTM World's response: bringing promising businesses into an ecosystem where the right visibility, expertise, connections and investment can help good ideas gain traction.
This year IBTM Ignite expects to showcase at least 30 qualified start-ups, building on a debut year that saw more than 80 startups apply, with 35 chosen to take part in the programme.
The place to discover the event industry’s next generation innovators, IBTM Ignite is welcoming applications from ambitious startups and scale-ups developing new solutions and business models spanning Event Tech and AI, sustainability, attendee engagement, event operations, accessibility, finance and the wider business events ecosystem.
Selected Ignite founders will receive investment-readiness training before taking to IBTM World's Future Stage to pitch live, with investors and audiences responding in real time. The Ignite Lounge will create a dedicated space for investors and emerging businesses to continue those conversations, followed by structured meetings within three to four weeks of the show. New for 2026, the Investors’ Choice Award will be judged across the three days by the investor cohort, with the winner announced on day three.