IMEX America, the largest U.S. exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events, ended its ninth annual show Thursday in Las Vegas, once again establishing new records for the weeklong gathering for industry professionals.
Ray Bloom, chair of the IMEX Group, said the number of pre-scheduled appointments made between buyers and exhibitors, a key performance metric for the show, reached 76,000, a three percent increase over last year.
Bloom said the show floor at the Sands Expo Convention Center for the three-day event was the largest ever and projected final numbers for attendance will confirm another record, which he believes will surpass 14,000.
“This edition has been our most imaginative yet,” he said. “The imagination and investment on display this week is outstanding. Everyone here has created a truly inspiring event, the perfect environment for business, making new connections and learning.”
More than 3,400 exhibitors and more than 150 countries returned to Las Vegas a month earlier than in previous years, but the date change did not dampen the enthusiasm and business reasons for the annual event.
Bloom said the show’s theme around imagination, the talking point for 2019 IMEX shows in both Las Vegas and Frankfurt, engaged attendees. The theme was designed to help meeting professionals produce collaborative, transformative, inclusive and sustainable events.
“In an age that’s marked by an exceptional rate of change, particularly in technology, it’s impressive to see how the whole industry is embracing virtual reality and experiential activations,” he said. “I can also testify that innovation, creativity and imagination have been in rich supply here at the Sands Expo this week.”
The show will return to the Sands Expo next September for its 10th anniversary show before moving to Mandalay Bay and a November date in 2021. Bloom announced the show’s talking point for the next two years will be “nature.”
For now, IMEX America has found a successful roadmap that affirms the importance of face-to-face meetings and the economic impact that meetings and events drive, especially in Las Vegas.
John Schreiber, vice president of business sales for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said the city welcomed 6.5 million business attendees in 2018, which resulted in US$12 billon of economic impact. IMEX alone contributed $20 million in economic impact in Las Vegas, he said.
MPI, IMEX’s largest strategic partner, also had a strong presence, beginning with Smart Monday, powered by MPI prior to the start of the trade show.
Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI, the largest association for meeting professionals in the world, said more than 900 unique attendees took part in Smart Monday education, up from 825 in 2018.
MPI offered 38 education sessions, 23 of which were developed by MPI, and attendees were eligible to earn up to 4.25 clock hours.
MPI presented three keynote speakers—Phil Hansen, Four Day Weekend and Michelle Gielan—and averaged about 300 attendees for each presenter.
MPI also delivered booth education once the IMEX show floor opened, and nearly 500 attendees took advantage of sessions. Jessie States, director of the MPI Academy, led a “funky icebreakers” session on Thursday that attracted nearly 75 attendees.
The MPI Foundation raised more than $379,000 from IMEX America events, including a silent auction and Rendezvous, the annual party at IMEX America. More than 2,500 people attended Rendezvous.
The funds raised, an increase from $365,000 last year, support member scholarships, chapter grants and industry research.
MPI made several announcements during IMEX America. Steve O’Malley will serve a second consecutive term as chair of MPI’s International Board of Directors, filling the gap after Annette Gregg, who was in line to became chair in 2020, resigned from the board in August when she became senior vice president of experience at MPI, overseeing the MPI Academy and live events. Immediate Past Chair, Amanda Armstrong will continue in that role for another term.
MPI also announced that the European and Meetings & Events Conference (EMEC), its signature education event in Europe, is going to Brighton, England, in 2021. VisitBrighton, the official tourism organization for the city of Brighton & Hove, and the IMEX Group submitted a joint bid to host the event. The next EMEC will be Feb. 9-11, 2020, in Sevilla, Spain.
The IMEX show floor was once again the central gathering point for industry professionals focused on business growth, networking and education.
“Every year we strive to be our own competition, to push ourselves to deliver richer experiences, better education and, of course, a really strong business pipeline for our exhibitors,” Bloom said. “Our partners keep rising to the occasion, too. We’ve seen some spectacular booths and activations this year and are delighted to see so many exhibitors aligning with our annual Talking Point and using it so innovatively each year. Their level of investment and commitment to business is remarkable.
“Equally, the feedback about the quality and variety of our education program has been second to none this year.”
Another highlight of the week was the signing by multiple partners of the Events Industry Sexual Harassment Task Force Pledge and the announcement of the events industry’s involvement in accelerating the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which are the focal point of discussions at the UN Summit in New York later this month.
Other social justice issues, including ECPAT’s drive to encourage meeting and event planners to educate themselves on how to end child prostitution and slavery, were also discussed at the show.
