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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.

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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.

(William Whyte)

Submitted by Gary Hernbroth, Chief Motivating Officer, Training for Winners

Amid all of the post-pandemic commerce being done in this industry via new group bookings and the resurgence of industry gatherings and events, many people are still bemoaning the fact that it’s still very tough to build and maintain relationships.

I hear this every week from event professionals and hospitality colleagues alike. People seem insulated, hard to reach, hard to get responses from on a timely basis, and the difficulty of breaking through the wall with many e-leads is still a daunting task in certain cases.

In other words, communication is still clunky in many places.

Who or what is to blame? No one thing, certainly, and maybe everything. I don’t like the “blame game,” it’s not one you can win. Rather, let’s admit that we all could do a better job and that the fix belongs to all of us. Truly, this axiom applies; “If it is to be, it’s up to me.”

Here is my short list for improving communication immediately:

1. Pick up the phone: Just today I got a call out of the blue from someone who wanted to pick my brain on a business idea stemming from a recent podcast that I did. We didn’t know each other and he just took a shot and picked up the phone. We are now going to work on a project together to help both of us with new business opportunities. The phone is NOT dead!

• Return phone messages, emails, texts, etc. Don’t ghost people. The Golden Rule works best for great communication. It takes nanoseconds to type a reply and hit the reply key. That way, the other party doesn’t feel ignored.

• Write and speak clearly: Say what you mean clearly, both verbally and in writing. Don’t tap dance around a topic or complicate the uncomplicated, thereby forcing others to figure out what you are trying to convey.

Connect with Gary Hernbroth 

The 11^th edition of IMEX America held in Las Vegas recently saw an overall participation of 12,000 attendees, of whom over 4,000 were buyers and 2,500 were suppliers representing 150 countries. Between the easing of travel restrictions and 40% of returning exhibitors taking more booth space, this year’s version was 45% larger than last year’s. And, IMEX Chairman Ray Bloom was very proud of the fact that “hundreds of students, our future leaders, have been here learning and experiencing the industry first hand and in full color.”  

Each year, ConventionPlanit.com proudly hosts buyers at IMEX. This year we were fortunate to include a number of student interns from the University of Las Vegas at our ConventionPlanit.com stand. As future meeting and event planners, the experience provided ULV students with an overview of the marketplace and current meeting planning priorities.    

The traditional excitement, business and sheer energy that are hallmarks of IMEX were combined with a program attuned to addressing today’s realities.  Along with the themes of sustainability, diversity and service levels, those of wellbeing and mental health were factored in as important considerations. Demonstrating these topics were several of the innovative engagement strategies positioned throughout the exhibit hall. 

One sponsor brought in trained dogs for attendees to pet and scratch for stress relief between educational sessions and show-booth interactions. Taiwan used an inflatable room complete with a faux campfire and a video screen providing over stimulated planners with a cozy presentation space. And CoralTree Hospitality won friends and influenced buyers with a foot massaging station complete with your choice of an essential oil to take away for an aromatherapy jolt to be applied when energy was bound to flag!

IMEX America offers an incomparable opportunity to make connections in the meetings, events and incentive industry. Mark your calendar and see you next year for IMEX America #12 – to be held October 16-19, 2023 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.