by Katherine Markham, CHME, Co-Founder, ConventionPlanit.com

IMEX America returns to Las Vegas from October 6-9, 2025. Ahead of the industry’s major global tradeshow, we discussed current trends and highlights what sets this event apart.

Your dedication to our industry’s development on a global scale is extraordinary. What makes IMEX America so successful?

Our emphasis spans from design to education, prioritizing the advancement of the global industry. We aim to create an environment where individuals want to attend by choice rather than obligation. In collaboration with our partners, we enhance awareness, foster participation, and advance educational opportunities. We even encourage participating planners to bring their RFPs to the tradeshow. This integrated ecosystem fosters professional networking, facilitates business transactions, and provides engaging experiences.

How does IMEX America affect positive changes in our industry?

Values lead the way for long-term impact, with education sessions that focus on topics like mental health and well-being. Experiential sharing and educational tracks prepare future leaders and expose them to various career paths.

What are the takeaways for planners and suppliers?

It’s a one-stop shop basically, bringing together all sectors of our industry in one place. The tradeshow
offers professionals a wide range of global suppliers. And with 25% of international planners present,
meeting professionals can also exchange ideas and innovations with their global peers.

During IMEX America this year, MPI’s keynote speakers are focused on human connection, well-being and macroeconomics. Do you consider this to be a theme for this year? What topics are trending?

Leadership and organizational culture remain central themes, alongside our Talking Point, IMPACT 2.0. Key trends identified at the Frankfurt show last spring included growing attention to artificial intelligence and budgeting, as well as their implications for the workforce. Accordingly, we have incorporated sessions designed to address matters relevant to all participants.

Your association and corporate education tracks offer sessions for every experience level. Can you tell us how the ‘Executive Meeting Forum’ is different?

Yes, it was launched in 2011. It serves 50-60 major corporate meeting professionals who run the global or regional meeting departments of companies with revenues over $100 million, in an afternoon of curated, relevant topics and facilitated conversation.

What is Smart Monday about and who should attend?

This is a dedicated pre-show education day exclusively for meeting professionals, providing an uninterrupted environment for learning. MPI delivers 60% of the educational sessions. The event attracts around 1,500 participants, of which 60% are planners, as well as savvy suppliers.

With 65% of planners with over $1 million in meeting and event business, what are the qualifications for meeting professionals to attend and why?

Planners who organize meetings are eligible to attend the event as buyers. North American planners may be hosted if they arrange meetings both within and beyond North America. International planners as well may be hosted if they hold meetings inside North America.

A reported 95% of students who attended an IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum were more likely to enter the meetings and hospitality industry. Can you elaborate on your success in uncovering and coaching future leaders?

Over the past 20 years we have educated over 5,000 university students across the world as a part of the Future Leaders Forums that take place at IMEX, MPI and other partner events. A recent survey showed that 95% reported feeling welcomed and expressed greater interest in careers in meetings and hospitality as a result of attending. With two decades of mentoring, we actively encourage and support industry career growth.

We Invite You to Join Our Hosted Buyer group at IMEX America in Las Vegas.

IMEX America is complimentary, the massive floor show is filled with learning and so much more:

• Complimentary single accommodations for you with our group
• Once confirmed, book your preferred air travel, and claim a refund
• Add to your CMP and CAE credits with the many free education programs including Monday, October 6
• Meet global exhibitors for 2 or 3 days of the exhibition, Tuesday -Thursday, October 7-9. Attend for 2 or 3 days of exhibiting/appointments.
• Enjoy our group’s breakfast and dinner presentations by our sponsors including Sydney, Australia
• Join a community of professional planners to engage during the show and make connections that last after the event
• Receive ongoing updates and news about IMEX happenings so you don’t miss a thing
• Get guidance from experienced group leaders so your experience will be productive and enjoyable

Come to IMEX America. Connect with the world. Continue your industry growth!
Can’t attend? Send a colleague who books international events.

RSVP by emailing Liz Jackson at ljackson262@msn.com

By Wendy E. Porter

Owner, Wendy Porter Events, LLC

Vice-Chair, Government Affairs, Live Events Coalition

March 18, 2022

On December 21, 2020, Congress passed the $15 billion Shuttered Venues Operators Grant (SVOG) as part of the COVID Relief Bill. And then on March 11, 2021, Congress passed the $1.2 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), of which $360 billion was allocated to state and local governments to support COVID relief efforts, including for small business relief. I’m hearing from a lot of misguided people that my industry “must be okay” now. Well… not so fast. 

While the SVOG was very much needed to keep our small independent venues, like Minneapolis’ First Avenue, alive, it didn’t go far enough. It helped the small venues stay afloat by covering their operating losses, but it didn’t help support the every-day gig worker or small business owners, who create events at those venues. 

The ARPA funding theoretically pushed billions into small businesses in the Live Events Industry, but yet, most of that money never got where it was intended to go, as states had wide discretion on how to distribute the funds. According to a September 2021 survey by the Live Events Coalition, over 90% of small businesses in the Live Events Industry have been completely left out of aid from these packages.

And then people said, “Congress is not prioritizing the money correctly. There are people standing in food lines, and they give it to the arts with SVOG? Who cares about the arts! Why aren’t they giving more to restaurants, where people are REALLY in need?”

I’m here to tell you why you should care. About the Arts and all the rest of the Live Events Industry, in which I have been employed for the last 20 years of my career. These ARE the people who are really in need… I’d argue as much or more than any other industry. After all, there was no curbside pickup in Live Events. We were literally SHUT DOWN. For almost two years. And some of our segments (i.e. Corporate) and not really back yet. Corporate trade shows are just starting to be held in person again. My company has done one in-person trade show. In two years. And it happened last week.

The Live Events Industry is the biggest “unknown” industry in the US, annually representing a conservatively estimated nearly $1 TRILLION in direct spending. This industry includes ALL events where people gather that are professionally organized. That includes not only Arts/Theatre, but also Conferences, Trade Shows, Business Meetings, Weddings, Funerals, Graduations, Birthday & Anniversary Celebrations, Art & Music Festivals, Concerts, Music Tours, Parades, Fundraisers, Awards Galas, Inaugurations, Sporting Events… basically the entire fabric of our culture and society. 

Every single person in the US takes part in a professionally organized event at some point in their lives. We are the people in black behind the curtain. When we do our jobs right, you don’t know we are there. That is completely by design. It’s supposed to look effortless. And over the last two years, that’s really hurt us. No one seems to know we exist and how large the industry is. It’s beyond time to come out from the shadows.

According to the Live Events Coalition, 12 million people work in the Live Events Industry in the US, with hundreds of types of jobs represented across over 1 million small businesses. From event producers coordinating the entire event, to the truck drivers hauling the gear,10 million of these people were 100% unemployed due to no fault of their own and an additional two million were underemployed.

To put that in context, in November 2020, 22 million people were unemployed in the US. 45% of the unemployed were people FROM the Live Events Industry. These were the people who were standing in food lines and not able to pay their rent. And many of these people are still not back to work or have mountains of debt to overcome. Homes, cars and other assets have been sold. 401K’s, savings accounts and college funds wiped out. People have taken their lives. The COVID-19 impact on the workforce in the Live Events Industry has been severe and staggering.

This is about a HUGE industry of people that have not been cared for by our government when they were forced to stop working due to government mandates to stop the spread of a deadly disease. So yes, if you care about Restaurant workers, you should also care about Live Events Industry workers. We are all interconnected.  An event is at the epicenter. People drive to get to the event; they stay in hotels; they eat at restaurants; they shop. The ripple effect is massive. Make no mistake, events are a major economic driver across the globe, and our industry has been forgotten.

To give you a comparison, in 2018, the US Automotive Industry was a $545.4 billion industry. The Live Events Industry is nearly two times larger. The US Automotive Industry got a government bailout several years ago for mismanagement because they were “too big to fail.” We have not mismanaged our businesses, but yet, we are not being seen as having a need. We were the first to close. And we have been the last to reopen… with many events still not back on the calendar.

The Live Events Industry is part of the entire US ecosystem. From the food grown by the farmers that is served by caterers, to the power used by utility companies to light events up and create the sound… to the flowers grown for weddings, and the gas used by truckers to get gear from point A to point B. If you think this “doesn’t matter”, you are sorely mistaken and entirely missing the point.

Think of a big game of Jenga, where the pieces are all interconnected to create the tower. The pieces are slowly being pulled out. You take out too many of the pieces… the entire thing collapses. That is exactly what is at risk. The people in our industry are those Jenga pieces in our society. Stop thinking of this as just the Guthrie or just the Kennedy Center or just First Avenue. Think of the entire ecosystem impacted. It’s massive.

Are we still fighting? You bet we are! Why? Because our industry now has a 2-year hole to dig out of. We have all been in the same storm over the last two years. But some of us have been on yachts. Some of us have been paddling in canoes. And some of us have been drowning. We are the ones drowning. We are not asking to be made whole by Congress. We have never asked for that. We are asking for the same help afforded to other parts of our society during this crisis, which is still not over. We just need a lifeboat to help us weather this storm until it passes.

We have active legislation in the works, being championed by Representative Dean Phillips (D-MN). In fact, just yesterday, an article ran in Politico about a Letter to Speaker Pelosi and Chair DeLauro asking them to support an active bill to get more help for businesses in live events, gyms, restaurants not supported by the Restaurant Revitalization Act (RRA) because the funding ran out, and for other small businesses that have been left out of aid.

The Live Events Industry is also “too big to fail”, and it’s more than time for Congress to take appropriate action to support this vital industry in our US economy.

____________________________________________________________

Wendy Porter, a nationally award-winning event strategist, is the Chief Events Officer of Wendy Porter Events, LLC, based in Minneapolis, MN. She is the Founder/President for the Live Events Coalition Minnesota, the Vice-Chair of Government Affairs for the National Live Events Coalition, and she sits on the National Board of Directors of LEC. Over the last two years, Wendy’s advocacy for the Live Events Industry has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, on CNBC and MPR, and in several local press outlets in Minnesota.

TheLive Events Coalition was established in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating impact on the live events industry. LEC exists to provide advocacy, resources and a network that connects and supports all of the businesses, contractors and our workforce – the lifeblood of every event. To learn more: www.liveeventscoalition.org

The IMEX America Daily Update provides you with a quick overview of things to consider at our yearly tradeshow of the global business events community in Las Vegas. Our ‘anchorman’ Gerrit Heijkoop (Mr. Red Sneakers) shares with you what’s going on this day, the latest headlines from our exhibitors and partners and his favourite daily Las Vegas Tip.

The IMEX Group has partnered with award-winning creative agency Smyle to produce a series of digital activations for the global business events community leading up to IMEX America in November.

The full programme, which will run between May and September, will be announced next month.

The new concept is designed to give tangible business value to IMEX’s traditional buyer and supplier audiences who have now missed a year of face-to-face trade shows. It also aims to unlock fresh business opportunities and attract a new online audience.

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, says: “Where 2020 was all about massive disruption and creativity in the face of chaos, in 2021 we’re focused on delivering digital experiences that generate business momentum and connections as we look towards IMEX America in November.

“Together with Smyle, and having learned huge lessons from PlanetIMEX, we’re planning a four-month activation with two clear advantages for the industry. First, it will be a time and a place for buyers and suppliers to build networks, nurture business leads and enjoy a sense of community and camaraderie. Second, for those who wish to use it this way, it will be a springboard for face-to-face engagement at IMEX America. Our partnership with Smyle, with their strong creative heritage, will enable us to deliver this ‘best of both worlds’ in a way that’s powerful, relevant and responsive to current business needs.”

Dominic Thomas-Smith, Managing Director of Smyle, adds: “We’re really excited to be working with the IMEX Group in building an all-new communications platform for event professionals globally. The boundaries of digital know no limits – we can’t wait to bring innovative thinking and a load of creativity to deliver engaging, interesting and rewarding experiences for all who participate.”

More details about the IMEX Group’s digital solutions will be announced next month.

IMEX America takes place 9 – 11 November at its new home of Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

www.imexexhibitions.com

As a long time attendee of the PCMA Convening Leader’s annual January event, this year’s “virtual remake” Jan. 11-15 did not disappoint. Noted as the best way for participants to kick off the New Year, its traditional format of stellar education and networking was only slightly diminished by the lack of face-to-face interaction.

A total of 3,500 people from 36 countries registered to watch the content online through the Juno AI platform, interacted in The Kitchen conversations and as part of micro-communities and satellite gatherings keeping the level of engagement very high.

The event moved from its planned location in Houston to Singapore, with 19 official network partners hosting watch parties from United Arab Emirates, where 300 people joined the event, to a Marriott International gathering in Denver and a Hilton event in Dallas with 50 attendees each.

For those accustomed to the standard industry vernacular that we’re used to hearing from speakers, a new vocabulary surfaced as a result of the various education sessions highlighting the new virtual reality. Terms such as Gamification, Tik-Tok, Zoom Room, Fun Format, Bandwidth Considerations, and Twitch and Cyberpunk 2077 as streaming platforms (a.k.a. video games) are on track to become part of our professional conversations.

Counteracting these highly technological assemblies were opportunities to join wellness groups practicing Guided Meditation, Zen Yoga, and a Pranayama Breathing Session all sponsored by Puerto Rico. For the virtual side of this hybrid event, in person networking was replaced by chat rooms and scheduled groups for conversations highlighted by the opportunity to replace your facial expressions with those of various emoji’s when conversing online.

In conclusion, PCMA retained its reputation for soliciting a high level of involvement from the attendees. This was aided by the fact that the virtual format produced an enhanced number of global speakers as well as those participants able to attend due to the elimination of the travel component. It’s a testimony to the organizers that the energy of the audience was not diminished by the pivot to a hybrid event.

Sherrif Karamat, President & CEO of PCMA said face-to-face meetings are starting to come back…with full recovery in 2023. “Recovery is on its way, but we can’t expect to go back to what it was. We have changed, and we have to help people face that new reality.”

See you (hopefully in person) Jan. 9-12, 2022, when PCMA Convening Leaders brings its flagship education and networking event to Las Vegas. Meanwhile, be safe – innovate!

ConventionPlanit invites you to join the upcoming IMEX America hosted buyer group of our partners, Susan Sarfati and Liz Jackson.  Connect – Learn – Contract.  US and Canadian buyers of meeting location services will benefit from 2 days of a complimentary in-person trade show plus a full day of education earning certification points.  IMEX America will cover your coach air fare, hotel expense and Las Vegas airport shuttle service.  We’re hoping the world will be a safe environment by November and we can get back to work booking the events we have missed so much during the pandemic!  See you in Las Vegas! 

To RSVP:  Contact Liz Jackson ljackson262@msn.com 

The progressive purpose-built venue strengthens its market leadership position

KUALA LUMPUR, 24 November 2020 – The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the Centre) was recently voted as Malaysia’s Best Convention Centre 2020 by leading travel and business events industry players in the inaugural World Mice AwardsTM 2020, retaining its market leadership position.

This recognition came on the back of another industry award, ICCA Best Marketing Award 2020 – Recognising Leadership in Transformation, earlier this month.

The Centre’s General Manager, Alan Pryor said, “We are truly delighted to receive this honour from World Mice AwardsTM. This reinforces our commitment to forge ahead in a spirit of positivity and resilience to progress business recovery and to remain our clients’ preferred business events partner. We regard this award as an encouragement amidst this very challenging year and as an inspiration to continue all our efforts as Malaysia’s leading venue. We would also like to congratulate our fellow winners, One World Hotel for Best MICE Hotel and MEvents for Best MICE Organiser.”

World’s leading MICE brands were selected and nominated in a year-long process followed by a period of voting by travel industry professionals and the public. The nominee gaining the most votes in a category was determined as the winner.

Pryor concluded, “We applaud World MICE Awards’ initiative to recognise the leaders of our industry. It is much needed to keep the industry’s morale up during such turbulent times and this programme has definitely succeeded in this regard.”

Aimed to raise the standards within the business events industry by recognising and rewarding organisations that are leaders in their field, World Mice AwardsTM was developed with a mission to serve as the definitive benchmark of excellence, and help foster a new era of growth, innovation and best practice on a global scale. World Mice AwardsTM is the sister event of World Travel AwardsTM which was launched in 1994.

For all the latest news, visit the Centre’s Newsroom at www.klccconventioncentre.com or follow on social media (Facebook – @klccconventioncentre, LinkedIn – Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Twitter – @klccconvention and Instagram – @klccconventioncentre).

KUALA LUMPUR, 11 November 2020 – The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre’s Director of Global Business Development & Marketing has been elected to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Board of Directors representing the Venue Sector, at the 59th ICCA General Assembly recently.

On her new role at ICCA, Angeline said, “First and foremost, I would like to congratulate James Rees, ICCA President, on another leadership term as well as all re-elected and new ICCA Board Members. I am looking forward to continuing the efforts and hard work of the outgoing venue sector representative Anja Stas and very much look forward to working with Jonas Scharf who will be serving another term jointly representing the venue sector.”

“As a Board Member and representative of the Venue Sector, I am committed to driving collective momentum to pioneer business and economic recovery to keep our industry transforming and transacting, and to contribute and grow ICCA’s engagement platform across our industry supply chain and to strengthen ICCA’s membership so we can deliver more value to members.

“Of great relevance to me is for venues to be vocal and demonstrate the value they provide as social and economic drivers, we need to communicate the value of venues as important infrastructure assets to cities and communities. We need to keep our venues operating and delivering business events and ascertain what relevant information and support we can share as a sector to advance our recovery and progressive transformation,” concluded Angeline.

Her key areas of expertise are in global business development and acquisition, strategic marketing and organisational and destination growth initiatives as well as partnership and alliance engagement models, having worked extensively in both the public and private sector.

Alan Pryor, General Manager of Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre added, “On behalf of the Centre, we would like to extend our heartiest congratulations. Her leadership attributes, commitment and passion towards our industry is highly respected by her peers. Her appointment is a direct reflection of the charismatic team of experts that is part of the Centre and the ASM Global network. Angeline’s appointment is a recognition for the Centre and an inspiration to all our team members to be steadfast and passionate in their aspirations.”

Rod Pilbeam, Chief Operating Officer Asia-Pacific, ASM Global commended, “During her time at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Angeline has regularly evolved the marketing strategy to ensure the continuing success of the Centre as a leader in Asia. Angeline has also been a valued contributor to our combined group initiatives including our Advantage program around our Asia-Pacific centres. Her experience in looking beyond just her home venue will stand her in great stead in making a contribution to our whole industry, particularly in the areas of data and knowledge about our business that we look for ICCA to bring together.”