The Worldwide Exhibition for Incentive Travel, Meetings, and Events (IMEX) is where the global business events community comes together for instrumental industry connections, expert educational sessions, and the latest event trends.

This incredible three-day event offered an opportunity to connect with other Association Management Companies (AMCs), Professional Conference Organizers (PCOs), and Destination Management Companies (DMCs) to share knowledge and current industry trends through an interactive, immersive workshop, “Creating Successful Business Models that Deliver Optimum Results for Associations,” hosted by Oscar Cerezales, Chief Strategy Officer at MCI. 

IMEX also offered a wide variety of free educational sessions and valuable one-on-one meetings with national and regional convention bureaux, hotel groups, venues, cruise lines, airlines, spa resorts, tech providers, and event management specialists. 

Key Takeaways

-AMCs and PCOs came together to combine their knowledge and resources in order to expand and improve client services within event planning.  

-By reviewing case studies on how global destinations are looking at the impact of meetings and events, we learned how sustainability has become an increasingly important consideration in the events industry as event organizers recognize the need to minimize the negative impact of activities on the environment. By adopting sustainable practices, event organizers can not only contribute to environmental conservation but also attract environmentally conscious attendees and enhance their event’s reputation. 

-How to create supportive and collaborative teams focused on the values of empathy and balance to enable longevity, loyalty, and positive workplace culture. 

-We Celebrated Germany’s Diversity Day by collaborating on diverse and inclusive business events for the future.  

-Developed practical leadership skills, effective client communication, and people management by building self-confidence and defining the client’s needs. 

Written by Michelle Jack

IMEX Frankfurt provides a great opportunity for us to connect with vendors and discover new ways that we can better support our association clients’ meetings or events, nationally and internationally. Beyond the exposition, we spent time learning and networking with experts to discover how we can improve the AMC model and client services. You fly home with a better understanding of meetings and events, global trends, and a ton of new friends. We had so much fun at IMEX, and we are already looking forward to 2024! 

Written by Emma Bennett