Sustainability, big education themes and strong business pipeline seen at the four-day trade show.
The 11th edition of IMEX America held in Las Vegas opened at the Mandalay Bay to buyer and exhibitor attendance levels harking back to pre-Covid levels. IMEX Chairman, Ray Bloom, announced an overall participation of 12,000 people, of whom over 4,000 were buyers, and 3,300 of these attended based on the show’s hallmark-hosted buyer programme.
Bloom explained that the 2022 edition was 45 per cent bigger than last year due to an easing of travel restrictions, plus 40 per cent of returning exhibitors taking more booth space. “We’ve certainly all got our steps in this week,” he joked.
Across the board, international exhibitors returned in strong numbers. Of those who doubled the size of their booths, 24 per cent were from North America, 23 per cent were from hotel groups, 15 per cent were European and 12 per cent were from Asia. Latin America and tech exhibitors also showed significant increases.
Arusha, Abu Dhabi and Egypt came back this year representing Africa and the Middle East, while Ras Al Khaimah joins IMEX America for the first time. Returning from Asia are Malaysia, Seoul, Taipei, Taiwan, and Tokyo. Also, back in the fold from the Caribbean are Curacao, the Dominican Republic, St Martin and St Kitts.
Bloom added, “The size of this year’s show is obviously a function of many in the industry being able to travel and plan meetings again and to do so with certainty. It’s been a long time coming, and, although we produced a great show last year, it felt like the big come-back we’ve all been waiting for.”
“That’s not to deny that challenges remain. Equally, it seems buyers are being more discerning”, he said. “We’ve heard they’re preparing RFPs in more detail and being more rigorous in their selection criteria.”
Strong business pipeline fuels show
The new business reality’s varied landscape was also evident across the show floor. On one side of the supply chain, Craig Jarrett from Royal Caribbean International observed: “Both planners and suppliers are hugely busy with event pipelines stretching up to six years ahead. We met buyers to finalise events in 2028.”
Confirming the upswing in business, Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico, said: “First thing this morning, one of our partners booked a substantial piece of business.”
James Rees from ExCeL London says: “We’ve met clients we’ve previously hosted, such as VidCon, who are returning to us to discuss bringing their event back to our venue in 2024 and 2025. There’s been a huge shift of staff in the industry, so the show is a chance for us to meet our old contacts in their new roles and build relationships with new people.”
Visit Scotland’s Richard Knight adds: “It’s all about filling that pipeline for 2023/2024 and planners are scouting many new venues and hotels. We are definitely taking inquiries, and normally we convert a good proportion of these into business.”
Sustainability, belonging and freedom of choice
Some big themes percolating from corridor conversations and speakers included: service levels, contracts, well-being and mental health; the pros and cons of distributed workforces; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI+B) and sustainability, both personal and environmental.
Carina Bauer, IMEX Group CEO, explained that, aside from being awarded MeetGreen’s Visionary status and the TSE (Trade Show Executive) Grand Award for Most Commendable Green Initiatives for the 2021 show, IMEX America has achieved the Events Industry Council’s Sustainable Event Standards Platinum Certification.
“The juddering, global halt of the pandemic may be behind us, but its lessons live on. And, having talked about disruption as a tool for business transformation for so long, we’re now seeing what that really means. Many of these lessons are positive, innovative and long overdue. From our A Voice for All programmes on Smart Monday to Google Experience Institute’s NEU Project, we’re all invited to understand that events, and event designs, have excluded too many people for too long.
“Two concepts I take from this week are belonging and freedom of choice. The first is ensuring everyone feels welcome – that they genuinely belong at our events and that our designs include them. The second is a call for planners to let go. To break free of over-scheduling and a “more is more” approach. We need to put people first, give them more choices and pay more attention to what makes us all human. At its most basic, this means prioritising healthy, nutritious food, clean water, time for rest, space for unscheduled connection and plenty of daylight. Google’s Megan Henshall put it best: ‘Not only does the data show that belonging is good for business, but as designers, we also need to do a better job of not asking people to leave their lived experience at the doors when they come to our events.” Carina concluded.
IMEX America will return to Las Vegas from October 17-19, 2023.