FRANKFURT, Germany
The 13th annual IMEX Frankfurt conference and exhibition, held May 19-21, is following up on a record-setting attendance figure from last year by setting a new record, according to organizers.
Although exact attendance numbers have not been released, IMEX Chairman and Founder Ray Bloom confirmed the record during his Opening Ceremony address, saying the popularity of the show is a “testament to the strength of our industry as a whole,” and that it leads to a broadening of the “knowledge economy.”
Bloom says a reinvigorated global economy, forecast to grow by 3.5 percent in 2015, will continue to strengthen the meetings and conventions segment, noting that MPI’s most recent industry forecast showed some 60 percent of respondents expecting a growth in attendance this year.
“As the global recession [recedes], the role of the meeting planner is changing to that of a more strategic responsibility,” Bloom said.
The event’s keynote speaker, Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP SE, closed the Opening Ceremony with some inspiring words relating to the value of the meetings and conventions industry to the global business world.
“If you want to inspire people, you have to bring them together,” he told the audience. “You are in the front lines of the battle with bureaucrats who think emails and Excel documents can change a darn thing.”
