AMERICAS - The IMEX Group is to introduce a range of new services and upgrades following extensive surveys and one-to-one feedback from both hosted buyers and attendees to last year’s meetings and incentives tradeshow in Las Vegas, IMEX America.
Almost 1,000 non-hosted industry buyers visited the show to do business with 1,800 exhibitors from 147 countries at last year’s launch show, 11-13 October 2011. According to IMEX, North American buyers were particularly enthusiastic in their appreciation and use of the IMEX online scheduling system, which enabled buyers to make appointments with exhibitors.
This year a personalised IMEX inbox is being introduced to collect all exhibitor messages to buyers into a single inbox on the IMEX website. The intention is to help buyers manage exhibitor marketing information by generating just one aggregated email per day to each buyer. This streamlining of emails was tested at this year’s IMEX in Frankfurt among 50 per cent of hosted buyers.
Several new networking receptions will also be built into the 2012 show to provide more opportunities for expanding professional business networks, including an early evening reception by association Meeting Professionals International (MPI).
This year the show’s ‘Smart Monday’ includes high-level education delivered by partners and associations, including motivation association Site, International Special Events Society (ISES) and Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), as well as Association Focus; a ‘conference within a conference’ for association meeting professionals, delivered by the centre for association management (ASAE), International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA).
Commenting on the planned changes to the trade show experience for buyer-attendees, CEO of IMEX Group Carina Bauer, said: “Our inaugural trade show made a really strong start and since then we have listened closely to make sure the changes we implement are well received and truly beneficial. At the end of the week, we want all visitors to feel they’ve received outstanding value and return on time and effort invested.”
IMEX America 2012 runs from 9-11 October at the Sands Expo, Las Vegas, followed by PCMA’s Global Professionals Conference, 11-12 October.
Any news? Contact exhibitionworld@mashmedia.net
