Responding to a widespread desire for high value, face-to-face connection, this year’s IMEX America focuses on asking people “Are You In?” The resounding reply from many buyers and suppliers from around the world so far is…Yes! 

Just 7 weeks after registration opened, well over 3,000 global buyers have already registered for the award-winning trade show, taking place October 17 – 19 at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.  

Exhibitor interest has also been enthusiastic, with over 40 new exhibiting companies so far contracted. The upswing signals that the North American and global events industry is finally shaking off the suffocating effects of the pandemic to focus on nurturing new business pipelines and market opportunities.  

Global exhibitors expanding show presence  

Increased engagement from previous and new North American exhibitors means the area of the show dedicated to the USA is set to be bigger than ever. Arizona, Boston, Chicago, LA, Miami, New Orleans, San Francisco and Seattle have all expanded their booth space and Denver will have its largest ever booth. MGM Resorts is also increasing its presence with the MGM Grand Las Vegas recently recognized as the largest single hotel in the world.  California, Detroit, Orlando, Omaha and Montreal are among the US destinations investing in sponsored activations at the show. 

Destinations from across Europe and the Middle East are strongly represented. They include Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Malta, Monaco, Spain and Dubai. Wales is among the destinations exhibiting for the first time.  Likewise, Asia Pacific makes a marked return to the show with Seoul, Tokyo and Taiwan amongst those confirmed so far. 

Alongside the global destinations, all the major hotel groups will be present including Accor, Hilton, Hyatt, Four Seasons, Marriott, Radisson and Wyndham.  

With the event technology sector going through massive change in recent years, including the rapid adoption of AI, attendees will discover a wide choice of providers offering event platforms, chatbots, analytics and apps designed to respond to current market needs. Cvent, EventMobi, Fielddrive, RefTech and STOVA are among the tech companies confirmed so far.  

Learning program raises tough topics 

The award-winning show’s learning program has been simplified and redesigned to enhance show floor meetings between buyers and suppliers. Tahira Endean, Head of Programming at the IMEX Group, explains: “This year we’re testing plenty of new short-form formats; we’ve challenged our speakers to create presentations that are engaging and instantly usable to meet the new ways that people want to learn or consume information. Short. Snappy. Entertaining. Easy to remember and digest … these are the buzzwords of our education programming right now. 

“And with Human Nature as the IMEX Talking Point for 2023, we’ve intentionally crafted our program to deliver a balance of both personal and professional growth opportunities. Shaping the program this way recognizes that we bring the ‘whole of ourselves’ to a business event. It encourages attendees to embrace a growth mindset and dive deeper into their own humanity to help us all build better human connections and focus on positive change across the industry,” says Tahira.  

Guidance for first-timers 

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, says: “We know that face-to-face events are where some of the most significant and valuable business conversations take place, so we carefully design both the online and IRL aspects of IMEX America to facilitate that.  And, from the demand we’re currently seeing from both buyers and suppliers, the appetite to meet and do business together is quite remarkable.  

“As well as welcoming returning friends and industry colleagues from around the globe, we recognize that our sector has evolved, bringing with it many new faces, in particular. So, this year we’re helping first-timers come together. We’re offering support, advice and ideas covering everything from how to plan meetings at the show, how to dig into education or decide what to wear, where to eat and who to meet!” 

IMEX America takes place at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, 17 – 19 October, with Smart Monday, powered by MPI on Monday 16 October. IMEX has partnered with HotelMap to offer exclusive hotel deals for all IMEX attendees. Register for the show to unlock hotel discounts and special deals. 

By: Gary Hernbroth, Chief Movitating Officer

Training for Winners

Do you remember your first tradeshow booth experience? I sure do. I was one of six seniors representing Michigan State’s School of Hospitality Business in our school’s booth at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago many years ago. It was “lights, camera, action” for us wide-eyed college students, getting our first taste of a national gathering of hospitality people from all over the country. It was dazzling and a lot to take in.

And then we got to the booth to “work it” and rep our school. Great, now what were we supposed to do? Somehow we figured it out, to shake hands, smile and not do anything to embarrass our school and faculty. Things are more complicated these days.

Many years later I chuckle at that experience, considering all of the conventions and events I’ve participated in, whether as a salesperson in the booth or a customer in the aisles. “Boothmanship” as it’s often called, is truly an art form if done correctly. Tragically, it’s seldom taught in many sales training programs or orientations to the trade. When I cover the topic in workshops, I get a lot of “I never knew there was so much to it” kind of comments.

Many salespeople think the overall atmosphere of “the show” is enough to carry the day and the rest will take care of itself. Far from the truth. You really have to “work it” to get your company’s R.O.I. out of having you there and the expenses of your air, hotel, registration, booth shipping, giveaways, time, entertaining and a myriad of other items that go into attending a trade show.

Meeting and event professionals have a job to do here, too. Your time is precious, and your organization didn’t just send you there to pick up a bunch of logo hand sanitizer bottles, foam squeeze toys, keychains, cookies and all the “stuff” that salespeople want to give you so they don’t have to lug it all back home. Trust me, I’ve lived it and heard it for many years.

At minimum, buyers should visit booths with the intent of learning something new about a new vendor, meet someone they’ve been emailing/texting back and forth, say hi to friends and colleagues, or check on some new wrinkles in their host destination for their upcoming event.  It would also help if they had business cards, which are still not out of fashion with many people. They personalize the interaction between people who share them with each other more than most electronic means will do.

I know some planners who bring their spec sheets and hand them out to viable salespeople so they can follow up with them more efficiently, and they don’t have to repeat their specs each time, in each booth.

Some of the following “dos and don’ts” may sound embarrassingly simple or basic. Don’t be fooled, they are on this list because they still happen – a lot:

• Give the registered attendee list an advance screening (if available) to pre-pick your places and people to see so that you don’t run out of time. Prioritize your walking route, and then see others after your prime “hit list”’ is complete.

• Don’t set your booth up like a mine field that is hard to maneuver in. Cutesy may catch the eye, but it has to be practical to accommodate traffic, too. Recently, a vendor put a Christmas tree right in the middle of a booth, making it impossible and clumsy to move around. When she went on a break, her booth mates moved the tree to the outside corner.

• If you have games, videos, live demos, etc., practice using them before the doors open. Check for glitches, otherwise you look unprepared for “show time.”

• What will you say as a greeting? What kind of questions will you ask? Open questions do a good job of getting the other person to open up. And remember, we learn more from listening than we do from talking. Don’t feature vomit in your booth!

• Have business cards and a pen to take notes on. It’s best to take short notes immediately after a conversation so that you can remember the little details for follow-up. If you plan on waiting until that evening when the show is over, good luck. It all becomes a blur and you’ve lost that edge with each conversation you had.

• Smile, have fun, keep good eye contact; look like you are enjoying the experience. Too many salespeople wear the “my ankles and back are killing me” look on their faces. It’s not a welcome sign for customers to want to engage in conversation with you.

• Break up the reunion! Exhibitors like to visit each other in their booths. That’s great, but that’s not why you are there. So have your hugs and chats, but when customers walk by or in your booth, disperse the reunion and excuse yourself so you can fly over to the customer. They came into your booth for a reason – and it’s your job to find out why.

• No eating!

• No standing there checking your mobile phone. If you have to put out a fire back at work, ask a teammate to cover for you and do it outside of your booth or walk a few feet away. Standing in your booth staring at your phone tells a customer “don’t come in here and bother me, I’m busy.”

• A colleague and I were looking for information on planning a sales retreat for a corporate client. Three salespeople were huddled around a desk in their booth, and one of them was sitting on the desk, and they were having a friendly time looking at photos on one of their phones. They finally noticed us looking at a brochure, and one of them said, “Let us know if you have any questions,” then went back to looking at the phone. We almost apologized for being a bother.

• Own the follow-up. Experienced salespeople do NOT count on customers to remember everyone they met at the event and everything they talked about, let alone follow up. If you are in sales, YOU own the follow-up… and make it timely, not weeks later. They may not remember you by then. I got a boilerplate follow up email six months after an event. They wasted their time and effort. Forget it.

Rise above your competitors at the show, take advantage of live customers walking around, and twist the familiar- do something different! You’ll increase your chances for more leads. Planners, take your good notes, too. You’ll have better decision criteria to choose from. With professional, savvy behavior both salespeople and customers can make the tradeshow a great R.O.I. for their time and energies expended.

July 25, 2023

• 

• 

Alex Wong, Sales Manager, David Kasser, AWE, Senior Vice President – Visit Anchorage with Katherine & David Markham, ConventionPlanit.com

Fresh off a New York City Roadshow, Visit Anchorage hosted a week of client events in Washington DC and the surrounding area. Although the reception originally planned for the rooftop at the Conrad Washington, DC would have been spectacular, the move indoors due to the Code Red air quality alert, was nonetheless stunning and enjoyable.

Anchorage’s David Kasser, AWE, senior vice president and Alex Wong, sales manager presented new developments for their convention center and hotels in the pipeline that have yet to be announced. Keeping with the cutting-edge theme, all guests received a swag bag including a Planeket® that will be featured on Shark Tank this Fall.

• 

• 

• 

Pictured with Katherine Markham are Jackie Springer, US Environment Protection Agency, Leslie Baldwin and Ken Eng, Ski Club of Washington, DC.

The Conrad Washington DC

Teresa Myers, U.S. Grains Council was the winner of the esteemed National’s Bobble Head

“The 2023 edition clearly reflected an industry pride and renewed confidence among exhibitors and, of course, a strong desire to do business with thousands of buyers,” said IMEX Chairman, Ray Bloom at the IMEX Frankfurt closing press conference at Messe Frankfurt today (Thursday 25 May).

Over 3,500 buyers made 55,000 appointments with IMEX exhibitors, of which 47,000 were individual appointments; the remainder were group and stand presentations.

New this year and free for all exhibitors and buyers was the ability to scan each other’s badges through the IMEX app, delivering instant access to a leads report and resulting in more business opportunities.

Reflecting business confidence on the show floor, Pablo Sismanian, Argentina National Institute of Tourism Promotion, said: “So far, we’ve had 15 events finalised at the show, worth more than $10m – and this is just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve received many enquiries for incentives, and some congresses.”

Claire Smith, VP Sales & Marketing at Vancouver Convention Centre, commented: “The meetings we’ve had have really moved discussions along, including conversations about bringing medical and scientific associations in with between 1,200 and 4,000 attendees. We involve our event partners so buyers can meet the wider team – this helps build trust, which is crucial.”

A new German language Impact Academy, organised by IMEX Brand Ambassador in the German speaking markets, Tanja Knecht, welcomed 60 hosted buyers who share a special interest in using events and event design to achieve both environmental and community engagement goals. Its successful launch augurs well for a repeat in 2024.

Intentional design, brand refresh

Noting the importance of intentional design in both Hall 8 by the exhibitors and Hall 9 by the IMEX team and its industry partners, IMEX Group CEO Carina Bauer, remarked on the show’s visual impact and memorability factor being stronger than ever. “This year’s show demonstrated how much more we all know about designing experiences with sustainability and purpose in mind, ensuring accessibility, inclusivity, higher standards of psychological safety and wellbeing….in fact all our human needs,” she said.

Bauer noted that, although IMEX pioneered elements such as the Be Well Lounge many years ago, this year many more people had used it and appreciated its calming atmosphere.  A choice of high-quality, locally sourced, low carbon food, plenty of comfortable and innovative places to rest and work together with low-level lighting in Hall 9 made the whole event experience more enjoyable and ultimately extended its value as a business and learning platform for everyone attending.

Also adding to engagement and positivity at the show was the IMEX brand refresh. Giant letters in the Galleria became the Instagram hit of the week, while attendees responded positively to the IMEX logo’s ‘handshake’ motif and contemporary colour palette.

Looking ahead, a strong relationship with the Google Experience Institute (XI) is set to expand at IMEX America this October. The launch of Google Co-Labs – mini design-thinking sprints – had been well received by large numbers of attendees, who also relished fresh, interactive learning concepts delivered by DRPG, Maritz and Encore. The show also marked the launch of the Valuegraphics Belonging Index, which was gifted to planners who attended a session run by company founder, David Allison, and Google’s Megan Henshall.

Looking ahead, Bauer declared that IMEX is on target to publish its Net Zero Strategy later in the summer and has already established a dedicated project team who are working closely with MeetGreen and isla.

“We’ve always known that strong personal relationships and connections are the bedrock of business, especially in a global market based on hospitality and freedom to travel. Since the pandemic, we appreciate other aspects of our humanity too – shared values, a shared purpose, and the power of collective action. This is why the IMEX mission is to bring the global events community together to do business, learn and drive positive change. This week’s show has exemplified positive change. It bodes well for the future,” concluded Bauer.  

Next year’s IMEX Frankfurt will take place 14 – 16 May 2024.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ConventionPlanit.com Partners with the Alliance of Independent Meeting Professionals

WASHINGTON, DC, March 5, 2023 – ConventionPlanit.com, a popular online search directory and RFP portal for the meetings industry, has formed a strategic partnership with the Alliance of Independent Meeting Professionals (AIMP) to collaborate on mutually beneficial exposure in the meetings industry.

ConventionPlanit.com will promote AIMP and its members with digital marketing on the ConventionPlanit.com website and e-Newsletter that reaches thousands of planners and suppliers to enhance awareness for AIMP. In addition, ConventionPlanit.com will furnish AIMP with RFP Valet® – a timesaving, free souring tool and service, accessible on independentmeetingprofessionals.com. AIMP members can obtain a complimentary ConventionPlanit.com listing to market their services by simply using the sourcing tool.

AIMP will provide ConventionPlanit.com with communication vehicles referencing the partner benefits to meeting professionals. “The Alliance of Independent Meeting Professionals recognizes the wide exposure that ConventionPlanit.com offers us throughout the meetings industry,” says AIMP Founder David N Bruce, MMP, HTS.   “We see strong synergies between our two organizations to increase awareness with both meeting planner and supplier professionals.”

ConventionPlanit.com Co-Founder and Principal David B. Markham adds, ““The Alliance of Independent Meeting Professionals is home to many top independent meeting planners who will benefit from the complimentary services that ConventionPlanit.com offers. We are delighted to have this opportunity to demonstrate how we can improve their work-life balance with our hi-tech/hi-touch resources.”

Designed by meeting professionals as an efficient registration-free online search directory and RFP Portal, ConventionPlanit.com’s website quickly refines searches to identify appropriate destinations, facilities, and service providers. RFP Valet® combines personalized assistance with a user-friendly tool to display comparative quotes and concessions. ConventionPlanit.com connects buyers with sellers and there are no commissions, markups, or hidden fees. For more information, visit conventionplanit.com.

Alliance of Independent Meeting Professionals is a corporate association for the

betterment of the independent meeting planner and the industry as a whole. Our

purpose is to develop the planning industry into a more professional, single voice.

Visit independentmeetingprofessionals.com to learn more.

The marketplace is saturated with 3^rd party RFPs. To expertly sell to this market, it’s important to differentiate site selectors from independent meeting professionals. We went to the source.

Meet ConventionPlanit.com’s new partner, the Alliance of Independent Meeting Professionals (AIMP).  

What is the Alliance of Independent Meeting Professional’s Unique Mission?

AIMP’s start began four years ago when the third-party commission structure changed. In an interview with AIMP’s Founder, David Bruce, we uncovered a passionate quest to support independent meeting professionals. As a 50-year industry professional, David’s unique mission is to bring the independent planner and hotelier together by understanding the needs of both. We want to give independent meeting professionals a voice within the marketplace. Distinguishing our members is the first step. As their advocate, we create enormous awareness for destinations, hotels, and resorts. By raising awareness of their intrinsic value, we can transform the marketplace.

With many third parties aiding in the planning process, how do your planner members differ?

The independent planner has adapted to the end user’s needs with numerous services. Independent meeting professionals have existed for over three decades, and our members are meeting professionals who generate over $450 million annually in group room revenue.As active consultants throughout the process, independent meeting professionals manage multiple aspects of the meeting besides site selection. Their services often include on-site management, coordination, budgeting, and billing, as they are an active consultant during the decision process as a client representative. In today’s marketplace, more companies focus solely on-site selection, and they rely on salespeople to generate and process RFPs. Due to competition for leads with national sales offices and destination management organizations, site-selection companies often distribute an RFP to an excessive number of properties to protect a commission. These RFPs are only sometimes fully qualified and sent to facilities that may be unsuitable to meet the client’s requirements.

How does AIMP support its members?

The independent meeting professional needs a centralized voice and standards. AIMP provides standard operating procedures, contract clauses, and best practices for our members. Our industry yearns to return to face-to-face negotiations that help establish trust. David Bruce believes the independent planner-hotel relationship will improve by understanding the needs of each entity through enhanced collaboration; we can help carry out this by clarifying the enduring relationship benefits with independent meeting professionals.

Interested in joining or learning more about AIMP? Click here.

Communication breakdown
 It's always the same 
I'm having a nervous breakdown
 Drive me insane
...Led Zeppelin, 1969

Communication breakdown is an obvious reason for delayed RFP responses. RFPs by their very nature relay many details. Suppliers consider factors that go beyond matters of space, dates and rates.     

Include Vital Information:

When information is missing, your RFP may be put aside until more data is available, i.e.:

• Your decision date is important to suppliers who are juggling other groups that are interested in your meeting/event time-frame.
• How is the decision made? Suppliers need to understand the next steps in the decision-making process, including who makes the decision.
• What factors will the decision be based upon? A supplier needs to know if they have a real chance to book your meeting/event and may become more competitive.
• Where can you be flexible? Tweaking a program to fit the meeting space or shifting the pattern of dates may move things along.
• Include information that makes your group more appealing, such as recent room pick-up history, and accurate food and beverage spend.

Current Industry Factors:

• Consider the Landscape – The recent volume of meetings and limited hotel staffing has had an impact on our industry. Additionally, the complexity of hotels and variety of destinations has changed the landscape. In an effort to adapt, suppliers have been steadily categorizing the RFP inquiry by room block size, market segment and region.
• Lead Spam – When your RFP is duplicated and sent to many unqualified hotels, the RFP is not taken seriously, and response time suffers.
• Online Portals – Meeting professionals are not necessarily employed by the organization they plan meetings/events for, and hotel salespeople are not always situated at the property. This is more prevalent in today’s post-pandemic world and not likely to change. To streamline the process, digital portals cut through these complications to connect the buyer with the seller.

ConventionPlanit.com can help streamline the process!

Meeting professionals who are frustrated with RFP response times can save time and get the job done with RFP Valet® – a complimentary sourcing tool with white glove service.

• No RFP templates to fill
• Effectively communicates your requirements
• Facilitates RFP distribution
• Collects and compiles quotes and concessions by your deadline
• Quickly narrow down to a short list of viable options

For Immediate Release

ConventionPlanit.com Launches

My Meeting SPACE Calculator

WASHINGTON, DC, March 21, 2023 – ConventionPlanit.com, a popular
online search directory and RFP portal for the meetings industry, has
launched MY Meeting SPACE Calculator, powered by EVENT-IT. This
latest amenity is accessible on all ConventionPlanit.com facility
listings and under the Resources section.

MY Meeting SPACE Calculator helps meeting professionals quickly and
accurately verify the meeting or event space needed for their
attendees in any set-up style. The software also factors in variables,
such as exhibits, head tables, dance floors and more, with both
Imperial and Metric options.

ConventionPlanit.com creates awareness of EVENT-IT technologies
developed by its strategic partner, BanquetConsulting.com through its
distribution channels. By the same token, BanquetConsulting.com
provides awareness of ConventionPlanit.com on its website and
numerous social media outlets.

“We are pleased to serve the meetings industry through
ConventionPlanit.com.” says BanquetConsulting.com and EVENT-IT
Founder, Angelika Bazarnik, CPCE. “Our collaborative efforts offer
ample time-saving advantages for busy meeting professionals who
must juggle numerous tasks. The calculator is only the first feature of
many coming to EVENT-IT.”

ConventionPlanit.com Co-Founder and Principal David Markham adds,
“BanquetConsulting.com offers a treasure trove of banquet solutions.
We’re delighted to offer their latest EVENT-IT technology as a free
amenity to meeting professionals for greater accuracy and efficiency.
We look forward to creating awareness of EVENT-IT’s evolving
technologies.”

Designed by meeting professionals as an efficient registration-free
online search directory and RFP portal, ConventionPlanit.com’s website quickly refines searches to identify appropriate destinations, facilities, and service providers. RFP Valet® combines personalized assistance with a user-friendly sourcing tool to quickly display comparative quotes and concessions. ConventionPlanit.com connects buyers with sellers and
there are no commissions, markups, or hidden fees. For more
information, visit conventionplanit.com.

EVENT-IT will be a simple event tool kit that brings onsite event
management to the 21st century. With our easy-to-navigate mobile
app, you’ll have all the tools to execute an amazing event and
streamlines venue-client communication and accountability. This way,
you’ll be able to focus on the actual event without worrying about all
the details. So whether you’re a seasoned event pro or a first-time
organizer, EVENT-IT will have a tool for you, no matter the size of the
event. #EventToolKitApp. For more information contact
Angelika@BanquestConsulting.com or phone 725-253-8368 (725-25-
EVENT).

MY Meeting SPACE Calculator

“At the heart of each IMEX show is a living, breathing marketplace – the fundamental and effective way of doing business that powers our industry,” explains Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group.

“We’ve carefully curated all elements of this year’s IMEX Frankfurt show – from the layout, the education and the experiential – to complement and enhance these in person business conversations. We’re seeing momentum building all the time and look forward to throwing open the doors to our friends and colleagues this May.”

Trends-wise the show will reflect many of the big shifts and changes in the meetings and events industry globally. As a buying force, the Chinese market is back and Asia in general is flourishing, driving event demand, locally and internationally. The big tech companies in Korea are one of several factors behind this growth.

International hotel groups plus smaller boutique hotels will be making their presence felt on the show floor, many of them introducing new service offerings or properties. Frankfurt itself has added to its hotel portfolio with several new openings including the impressive Scandic Hafenpark and B’Mine, the first WorldHotels Crafted Collection hotel in Germany, and NH hotels signature Nhow brand which IMEX is showcasing as hosted buyer accommodation in the city. Many hosted buyer hotels have also benefited from recent refurbishments including the Steigenberger Frankfurterhof, the Marriott, Hilton and the Westin.

Destinations, venues and suppliers span the world and include Croatia, Malaysia, Peru, Portugal, Ras Al Khaimah and Spain. Hotel groups Hilton, IHG Hotels & Resorts and Radisson are among the exhibitors expanding their presence onsite as well as Los Cabos and Morocco. Sarawak, the largest of Malaysia’s 13 states, will have its own stand for the first time and will also be joined by the region’s Tourism Minister during the show.

Experts from Google, Microsoft & Pinterest

An extensive programme of over 150 educational and networking events begins with dedicated learning sessions the day before the show, on Monday 22 May.

Monday’s programme is tailored to specific sections of the event professional community:

The complexities of delivering events in a hybrid world will be explored in detail at Association Focus, delivered in association with ICCA, AC Forum, AMC Institute, ASAE, ESAE and Global Association Hubs.

A stella line-up of experts from world-renowned companies spearhead Exclusively Corporate, IMEX’s high-level, invite-only event for corporate event specialists. This includes Microsoft’s Bob Bejan and Salesforce’s Charlotte Pedersen who will go head to head in The tale of two titans – the evolution of event strategy and experience design. Moderator Nicola Kastner explains: “Very rarely do we have an opportunity to learn from two massive tech brands taking such radically different approaches.”

Year on year IMEX’s Agency Directors Forum is redesigned to meet the prevailing business needs of senior agency professionals. 2023’s facilitated discussion will focus on business management issues.  Hot topics are set to include people and talent management; succession planning; business drivers, trends and technology and new business strategies, plus new revenue generation models.

New co-located events for 2023 include MICE Impact Academy, an exclusive invite-only education event for German planners, and ELX (Event Leaders Exchange), a meeting for this two-year old community of senior event corporate event leaders from 3,000+ headcount organisations with $3billion+ annual revenue.

Human Nature underpins learning programme

The IMEX 2023 Talking Point – Human Nature – provides a steer for education and interaction. Carina explains: “Our industry is in the business of human gatherings, face to face connections and building communities, so it felt natural to focus on what it means to be human in the 21st century. When we meet in person something special happens – from driving business growth to developing relationships that span the world. This need to come together and meet is an innate to our human nature.

“Our Talking Point also helps to deliver a positivity boost – we’re focusing on what’s good, constructive and loving about human nature; about our potential and ability to change, adapt and thrive in supportive and co-operative ways,” she says.

The result is a set of education tracks reflecting the way people live and work now. Event Marketing is a new addition, while Technology and Innovation; Trends and Research and Experience Design are tried and tested and always in demand. A new Business Practices track will include the ever-popular Event Planner Toolkit while a People and Planet track will specifically address Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Professional and Personal Development, Leadership, Culture and Engagement, Wellbeing and Sustainability.

Children as crisis management teachers

New headline sessions will feature contributions from values and human behaviour expert David Allison. From deep inside the data, David brings a clear and powerful truth to transform the way we work and the world we live in. “Our values unite us,” he says. “They can light the way for purpose-driven brands and lead us to a more values-driven world.”

International crisis leader Thomas Lahnthaler will talk about building successful remote teams. He’ll also join Eszter Mattiassich-Aszody, Head of Global Events at Siemens Healthineers to explore leadership and life lessons from children. Thomas explains: “Observing my children is looking at crisis managers in action. The skills that children execute daily are what we as adults have somehow unlearned because of our experience.  I want to share these skills that we’ve forgotten how to use.”

The Listening Lab returns with both education sessions and bookable one-to-one coaching. Sessions will explore how people’s individual nature’s influence their professional personas as Dawn Wray, coach and co-founder of The Listening Collective, explains: “Everything’s connected. It’s impossible to disconnect the person and the work issue from who they are and how they show up in the world. We’re learning that people may say to us ‘I want to work on my presentation skills’, for example. But once they start talking, they talk more about how they feel when they’re presenting.”

New, single IMEX account

IMEX has also redesigned the online registration process for its shows. With a focus on improved marketing tools and business insights for exhibitors, to more and better connection opportunities for all attendee types, the new process means every participant has a single IMEX account for both shows. Pre-scheduled appointment functionality has been enhanced while the IMEX app has also been improved. The result is a faster customer journey intended to connect buyers and exhibitors to each other in a way that boosts business and networking return.

IMEX Frankfurt evolves every year and May’s 2023 edition will be no exception. This time around, however, attendees can expect a few surprises – the IMEX Group is set to evolve even further, with more details to be revealed onsite.

IMEX Frankfurt takes place 23 – 25 May 2023. To register click here.

Travel and accommodation details – including new hotel booking discounts – can be found here.