Industry View
Meaningful
connections
Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, says
evolution is inevitable, but bright shows have
a bright future
D
“To deliver a great
show it’s vital to
experience other
great shows and
learn from them”
54 — June
o large exhibitions offer the knowledge and
networking opportunities that meetings and
events industry professionals are looking for?
Charlotte Gentry posed this very fair question
in the April edition of EN. It’s a question the
65-strong IMEX team ask ourselves frequently,
a challenge to respond imaginatively to market
demands.
The hunger for knowledge, for more meaningful
connections, plus more transferable skills to fuel a
career, is undeniable. Although creating a dynamic
business marketplace is the core of what we do
at IMEX, no organiser can afford to ignore the
demand for networking and knowledge.
Let’s look at an IMEX knowledge programme.
We offer over 300 sessions on subjects as diverse
as business skills, sustainability and personal
development. To keep it fresh, our staff attend
over 30 events each year, within the MICE
industry and outside of it. Why? Because to deliver
a great show it’s vital to experience other great
shows and learn from them.
Shows must consistently watch and respond
to what the market wants, leading not following.
That’s why we at IMEX cherish the phrase: “you
spoke, we listened.” This led us to make sure
that education and networking can be managed
alongside business appointments so both take
place close to, or on, the main exhibition floor.
We’ve increased the flexibility of our hosted
programme, offering people the opportunity
to extend their time at the show to take greater
advantage of the many free educational and
networking events.
Our 300-plus sessions at IMEX in Frankfurt
this May included a full afternoon of knowledge
sharing and networking on the day prior to the
show – EduMonday – where we ran special events
for groups including corporate event directors
and planners, agency directors plus association
executives. They are specifically designed to
offer both top quality learning and invaluable
networking. These fully researched events are
produced by a conference professional, with
speakers from companies including Barclays,
Microsoft and KPMG.
EduMonday also included She Means
Business – dedicated to women in leadership;
a new Event Innovation Lab (for those looking
to inject innovative concepts into events);
#IamRemarkable (a PCMA workshop powered by
Google); and the new Red Lab (focusing on future
trends and their impact on the industry).
The word of the moment is ‘experience’.
Knowing this is what our attendees want, we
created a Discovery Zone, with features including
holograms, robots, magic, art and technology.
We want participants to go home inspired,
brimming with contacts and a sense of
new possibilities. Yes, of course venues and
destinations can be researched online; but surely
the purpose of face to face events is something
quite different. Author and marketer Seth Godin
calls it, “that feeling you’ve just got to be in
the room.” There’s something distinctly more
satisfying – and possibly more important – about
being in the same place, at the same time to share
information, knowledge and contacts.
Having said all this, the industry certainly must
do more. The needs of buyers – from agencies
in particular– are changing and we’re keen to
collaborate to meet those needs. Destinations are
keen to service agencies better and agencies want
more options, creativity, unique venues and event
assets. Everyone wants new ideas, fresh content,
more momentum, more connections and more
memorable experiences.
In the middle is IMEX – ready to play our
part and serve a global industry we love
wholeheartedly.