IMEX America’s 2019 edition, held September 10-12 at Las Vegas’ Sands Expo, shattered a number of attendance and exhibition records.
Although official numbers have not been released, IMEX Group Chairman Ray Bloom said he expects the final attendance figure to be just under 14,000 meeting professionals.
“Despite the show being earlier, we nonetheless have had the largest show floor ever and the largest hosted buyer attendance,” Bloom said, adding that a total of 76,000 hosted buyer appointments were booked online before the event.
“We don’t believe this is even 50% of the appointments that took place,” he added.
Bloom singled out the announcement by the Events Industry Council that it launched its Center for Sustainable Events at IMEX America was a highlight of the 2019 show.
“Other industries are very proactive [regarding sustainability], and there’s a very strong need for this industry to be proactive as well,” Bloom said.
IMEX Group Chairman Ray Bloom
Bloom said that heading into the 10th anniversary of IMEX America, IMEX Group would focus on a theme of “nature” over the next two years.
MPI President & CEO Paul Van Deventer said MPI’s Smart Monday also enjoyed record success in the ninth anniversary of its partnership with IMEX.
900 meeting and event planners attended Smart Monday to receive professional development offered via 37 classes, 23 of which were facilitated by MPI.
“That is a significant jump in attendees over the prior year,” Van Deventer said, adding that MPI’s She Means Business women’s leadership program garnered more than 700 attendees.
MPI also announced that the hiring of 2020 Chair-Elect Annette Annette Gregg to senior vice president of experience for the association has left the 2020 MPI Chair position vacant. The International Board of Directors re-elected current chair Steve O’Malley to serve another term.
See all of Meetings Today’s coverage of IMEX America 2019.
