IMEX 2010 announces its ambition

Over 20 new buyer groups have already been confirmed from the US, Asia Pacific and Middle East delivered by intermediaries including Marriott Hotels, Hilton Hotels, Mandarin Oriental, Rocco Forte and Starcite. Participation from US association buyers is also forecast to be particularly strong as a result of new intermediaries in this market and the IMEX Association Day on May 24th, the day before the show opens.

According to last year´s post-show hosted buyer evaluation, the trade show estimates a record $375.5 million dollars worth of contracts to have been agreed during IMEX 2009. New exhibitors so far confirmed include Scandic Hotels, Warwick Hotels and Madrid, who will be taking their own stand for the first time.

Online improvements
Improvements have been made on the website, and especially on the IMEX Virtual Exhibition pages, making it even easier for buyers to locate exhibitors they are interested in making appointments with. In addition, a new partnership with i-Meet – the professional and social network for people who plan meetings and events – will enable IMEX hosted buyers to network with each other and share ideas in a private online environment both before and after the exhibition. IMEX will create a “community within the community” at i-Meet.

IMEX 2010 will continue to balance business opportunities with a strong education programme delivered in both English and German. Sessions will be organised into different tracks such as ´environmental´, ´innovation´ and ´leadership´ to allow visitors to choose seminars and plan their time. Meetings & Conventions 2020 A first for IMEX 2010 will be a new initiative focussing on the future of the industry –

Meetings & Conventions 2020
IMEX has partnered with ICCA and Fast Future to deliver a new research study looking at the future of live events, venues and meeting destinations. The study will explore the underlying trends and drivers that could shape the industry over the next decade and will drive a series of seminars and workshops at IMEX 2010.

A new seminar based on the best-selling book, “Influencer”, is also new. Influencer is a training concept which draws on the skills of hundreds of successful change agents around the world and combines them with five decades of the best social science research. This 1.5 hour session will be delivered by Grahame Robb Associates.

Demand for environmental education at IMEX has also grown. For the first time the IMEX Corporate Responsibility Centre will be ´Powered by GMIC´ (the Green Meetings Industry Council and IMEX´s green partner). Also new will be a series of short, drop-in workshops that will run throughout the day on the stand. They will include case studies from previous award winners and ´how to go green´ power-sessions with advice about where and how to start, as well as information on more advanced green policies and practices.