From the busy morning industry sessions tackling topics like “Snapchat your events as visual storytelling” and “How can we work with the new sharing economy?” to the buzzing afternoon tradeshow floor featuring Turkish violinists, a British a capella group, upbeat tunes from Mr. Holland himself, and a fashion show from Air France organized by Atout France, the 14th annual IMEX Frankfurt was a hive of activity for three full days at the Messe Frankfurt convention center.
Altogether, nearly 9,000 hosted buyers and visitors attended this year and the number of individual appointments and stand presentations increased by 9 percent, to 57,000. The breakdown was 3,977 hosted buyers from 84 countries and 4,955 trade visitors from 90 countries, with a total number of participants including exhibitors at 14,465.
To increase time on the show floor for buyers, this was the first year IMEX Frankfurt offered an extra night for European buyers.
According to a statement from Ray Bloom, IMEX Group chairman, “We have invested substantially in bringing more senior hosted buyers into the show for longer periods of time while giving them flexibility to make the most of the opportunities to meet their own needs.”
There were also 42 new stands and hundreds of new exhibitors, including Montenegro and Guatemala.
“New exhibitors were from all different regions,” said Carina Bauer, IMEX Group CEO. “One of the big trends was to see how destinations are promoting themselves. Australia and Germany, for example, are focusing on their sectors of expertise. It used to be on infrastructure and tourism.” Bloom concurred in a statement.
“It is interesting to see that many stands have adjusted their marketing positioning,” he wrote. “They are making more of their associated centers of expertise as these are an asset to event organizers and a way to drive inward investment and growth in the local economy. It’s a trend that was central to the discussions at the political forum.”
The Politicians Forum was held April 19 with more than 40 politicians and policy makers from around the world. They gathered at the Hotel Villa Kennedy Frankfurt with 80 industry leaders for a full-day program to spotlight the benefits that meetings can bring destinations.
“The business events industry provides the catalyst for transitioning toward a knowledge and creative society. Indeed, governments themselves acknowledge that it takes a meeting or a summit to solve global issues and to avoid catastrophe, and when scientists, medics and technologists meet, they too change the world,” stated David DuBois, president and CEO of International Association of Exhibitions and Events and Immediate Past Chair of the Convention Industry Council.
Virtual reality devices were prevalent throughout the show floor, from Dubai to Germany, including a dizzying simulated car ride through Berlin. An emphasis on the technology segment included new exhibitors such as Catchbox, Digivents and Convertio.
“There is also a strong flow of innovation and investment clearly evident in the creativity and new technology on the show floor,” Bloom said. “The many impressive new designs among the 50 new stand structures and, for instance, virtual reality devices, indicate their confidence in their investment in the industry and in the show.”
There were 3,500 exhibiting companies representing 150 countries, more than 400 exhibitor networking events and over 180 education sessions. IMEX reported that 50 exhibitors boosted their stands, including Brand USA, Japan, Portugal and the Netherlands.
Business is Personal was introduced as a theme, including sessions focusing on leadership skills and the Be Well lounge for breaks offering yoga and meditation sessions, including Tibetan singing bowl meditation, and there was also the IMEXrun inspired by the Olympic city of Rio de Janeiro.
“Wellness is part of the Business Is Personal theme,” Bauer said, “incorporating business skills and personal development.”
There was a noticeable police presence in the show in light of the ISIS attack on Brussels.
“We did increase the security levels,” Bauer said. “Though the show has always had tight security, we wanted people to see the security presence. Over the past six or seven years we have developed a strong crisis and contingency system. We developed it the year of the Icelandic volcano when flights were stopped.”
Education programs included the first PCMA Business School in Europe. Also, the IMEX educational program, based at the Inspiration Hub, offered more than 180 educational seminars and workshops covering 10 different tracks, including a series of short TED-style talks focusing on Trends and Future Think, courtesy of the Swedish Network of Convention Bureaus.
IMEX culminated in a Gala Dinner at the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel, with an inspired DJ and award ceremony, including the Academy Award for the Americas, won by Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC.
