MICE CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE

IMEX in Frankfurt 2015, taking place from 19 to 21 May, is on course for further business growth, with a substantial number of new hosted buyer groups confirmed, several new stands already booked and an extensive range of inspiring and valuable new ideas and features to help buyers and exhibitors.

There has been strong demand from exhibitors with over 20 new stands already confirmed. They represent organisations from all five continents and cover a wide range of destinations and services on show at IMEX, with many new countries, cities, hotels, venues and technology suppliers among them. A further indication of the industry’s confidence comes from the fact that many exhibitors – both destinations and hotels – have already increased the size of the stands.

Most hosted buyers

Interest from buyers across the industry is also very positive with 34 new groups from around the world boosting the nearly 4,000 strong programme. Buyers will be coming from all corners of the globe, with new groups added from diverse markets including France, UK, Middle East, Asia, and the USA. This year, IMEX will also continue to drive the high-touch service that buyers have come to expect from the show. In particular, the unique Concierge Service which was launched last year will be further enhanced, as will hosted buyer lounge services.

IMEX is also continuing to refine and develop its appointment setting system which has been built specifically for the show. Developments will focus on making it easier for buyers to manage and refine their message and appointments. In addition, visitors and press who attended in 2014 can save time by recalling their contact information and auto-populate their registration from when registering to attend.

Education

Stimulating new ideas and providing valuable educational insights are well-established and essential elements of what IMEX brings to the industry and this year the IMEX team will again be introducing several inspiring and engaging new strands.

Thursday at IMEX will now have an added dimension as, at the inspiration Hub, it will be Creative Thursday. Relaxed though-provoking sessions, alongside the popular quick-fire educational seminars will make Thursday’s educational programme an enjoyable and distinctive final day.

While the seminar programme will, as always, feature a vast range of informative and entertaining presentations by world class experts on every aspect of working in the industry, there will also be several new elements this year.

Two new session formats will be geared specifically towards particular groups,  Young Professionals – for anyone relatively new to the industry – and to Senior Professionals, with presentations tailored for these groups. before the show opens on Tuesday and Wednesday, there will also be two new in-depth sessions, one on Business Networking and the other on Building Confidence, to kick off the day.

Politicians Forum

Several highly successful special events bring together many groups each year will once again be taking place in Frankfurt during IMEX. Among them is the IMEX Politicians Forum, held at the Villa Kennedy, which gathers ministers, mayors and senior city officials from around the world to meet with senior meeting industry leaders and share important insights into the valuable role that the industry plays in driving business and jobs.

Exclusively Corporate

Monday 18 May, the day before IMEX opens, will again be busy in Frankfurt with major events. Following its successful launch two years ago and continuing positive feedback, Exclusively Corporate@IMEX, taking place   for the first time at the Kempinski Gravenbruch, has been further enhanced. A dedicated education and networking event, it is specifically created each year for corporate meeting and event planners from all over the world to learn from industry experts and from their peers. Through engaging seminars and case studies they can discover how to leverage creativity and innovation to create meetings and events that truly engage their audiences, adding significant value to the business with whom they work.

Association Day & Evening

Also on Monday is Association Day, which is being held this year at the newly opened Kap Europa, Messe Frankfurt’s impressive new conference centre. It will bring together leaders and event organisers working for associations across the globe. It is a day packed with educational talks by experts and peers from leading industry associations, with helpful advice on running both associations and major meetings. There will also be great opportunities to network with other association leaders and share thoughts and insights.

These popular and successful annual events will this year have new programmes with and added emphasis on peer to peer engagement.

Wellness

IMEX has been a pioneer in the industry in promoting and encouraging Wellness. This will take a large step forward this year. Be Well at IMEX is a key theme for 2015. Throughout the event there will be education on wellness topics, a wellness guide is being planned to assist all participants in staying healthy at the show and a meditation room is also being planned. This will be a quiet space for people to visit just off the show floor – meditation and yoga sessions will run during the day interspersed with quiet time. The idea is that it will be a place for people to come and recharge throughout the day.

IMEX Group Chairman Ray Bloom summed up the developments for IMEX in Frankfurt 2015. “Strong demand from our exhibitors and buyers across the world is a good indication that 2015 will be another year of growth for IMEX in Frankfurt.

“We continue to invest heavily in systems, programmes and ideas to enhance the experience for everyone who takes part in IMEX and enable to them to do business. With many more initiatives still to be announced in the coming months, we are creating the best possible environment for business and are looking forward to welcoming everyone to IMEX in Frankfurt in May.”