MICE CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE

“IMEX in Frankfurt is truly a global gathering of the MICE industry – bringing together 14,000 senior industry professionals each May to meet, do business and advance the sector. The show is a melting pot of ideas, connections and shared experiences that can only happen when meeting face to face.  IMEX constantly seeks to innovate and deliver fresh and surprising content at each show – and this year’s IMEX in Frankfurt is no exception,” Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group.

With 3,500 exhibitors from over 150 countries, buyers can get stuck into some serious business. New exhibitors confirmed so far include Mallorca Tourist Board, Associated Luxury Hotels, the Faroe Islands, Pacific World Congresses & Exhibitions and Nobu Hotels. Jordan Tourism Board, Hilton International, Evintra, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Azerbaijan and H-Hotels are among the exhibitors who have an increased presence at the show this year.

Exhibitor announcements

New Leonardo hotel openings in Frankfurt and Zurich, the launch of a new tall ship for Sea Cloud Cruises, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre’s Economic Impact Study results, Peninsula Hotels’ new Global Art Programme plus the launch of new exclusive experiences for Eurostar clients are just a few of the updates buyers will hear when talking business with exhibitors. More than 10 organisations also plan to make news announcements during IMEX including: SITE, Airport Authority Hong Kong, European Cities Marketing and Thailand.

New Discovery Zone – powered by imagination

Imagination is IMEX’s Talking Point for this year and the theme informs content throughout the show, bringing with it a range of exciting new experiences, exhibitors and educational events. Imagination powers the show’s new Discovery Zone, which is set to showcase the latest in experiential concepts and event technology. This specially curated area will be packed with education and experiences to fire up the imagination of event planners and exhibitors alike, helping them to question the conventional and explore fresh approaches.

A talking robot, holographic show and 360degree photography booth plus an interactive art mural are among some of the surprises in store. Attendees can explore the great outdoors while dining indoors at the show’s food court, they can also kick back with table football, table tennis and other games for some purposeful rest and relaxation.

EduMonday launches with keynote

Learning opportunities are core to IMEX in Frankfurt, beginning with EduMonday, an afternoon of free professional education taking place the day before the show on Monday 20 May. Anne Kjaer Riechert, Co-founder & Managing Director of ReDI School of Digital Integration, launches EduMonday with her keynote at She Means Business, a conference created in partnership with tw tagungswirtschaft. After this attendees can stay and be part of She Means Business, celebrating the role of women in the events industry or mix and match from a programme of 20 general sessions designed around professional or personal development.

For the first time, MPI (Meeting Professionals International, Strategic Partners to IMEX America) will also be offering high level education sessions during EduMonday: event marketing; risk management and inclusivity. Erwin Steijlen, who was a huge hit at MPI’s recent European Meetings and Events Conference (EMEC) with also bring his show-stopping presentation on “The Power of Music” to IMEX.

Event professionals from all sectors and all levels can explore topics and trends via a number of dedicated events during EduMonday, all specifically curated for various audiences. Association professionals from around the world are invited to Association Day & Evening, to share best practice and connect with peers. ASAE, ICCA and MCI have all collaborated with IMEX to create a topical and interactive programme, delivering three Learning Labs covering Leadership, Imagination and Knowledge. The Agency Directors Forum is a strategic exchange for small to mid-size meetings and events agencies focusing on People & Talent Management, Keeping your Leadership Skills Smart, Technology for your Business and Diversity, Collaboration, Transformation. There’s also education and networking exclusively for corporate/in-house meeting and event executives at Exclusively Corporate which includes speakers from the International Olympic Committee, Barclays, Cisco, Microsoft and KPMG.

Young planners learn ‘how to put the roar into their career’

Young professionals will learn ‘how to put the roar into their career’ in Living life with a purpose, a session that’s part of Rising Talent, personal development education designed for planners under 35 years. Other sessions focus on how to develop leadership qualities, networking and career advancement strategies, and also The impact of associations and their conferences on destinations detailing the importance of legacy.

Explore social learning, food waste & emotional engagement

With over 250 complimentary learning sessions in both English and German taking place on EduMonday and throughout the three days of the show, there’s no shortage of opportunities to update industry knowledge and contacts. Sessions focus on hot topics and are designed across 10 tracks, including business skills, creative learning, research and trends, sustainability and health and wellbeing.

New for this year is the Red Lab where experts from outside the events sector will deliver fresh and imaginative perspectives in sessions such as Social learning: Connect. Share. Learn from game based learning platform and What a waste! Finding solutions for world problems using co-creation – a session delivered by Laure Berment from Too Good To Go, the world’s number one app for fighting food waste.

The importance of mindfulness in talent management will be presented by Jan Esswein, one-time monk and now Germany’s most widely-read author on the subject of mindfulness. Emotional engagement in event design is explored by experts including James Morgan, Founder of Event Tech Lab. There’s also a brand new Event Innovation Lab, by EventManagerblog.com – an immersive event planning training workshop aimed at high-performance agencies and corporate event teams.

IMEX in Frankfurt takes place 21 -23 May 2019. Registration for the show is free of charge and open to all who work in the meetings, events and incentive travel industry. EduMonday, 20 May, is available to all industry professionals who attend IMEX.