The exit survey for the 900 Hosted Buyers at this year’s international meetings tradeshow, IMEX in Frankfurt, found 50 per cent of buyers had budgets in excess of US$500,000 annually with 17 per cent holding budgets of US$5m and above.
The show’s online appointment system, which was used during the May show in Germany, included 53,000 appointments scheduled before the start of the show by Hosted Buyers.
When asked “How important is it for you and your business that you visit IMEX?” 99 per cent rated the trade show between ‘important’ and ‘very important’, with 93 per cent confirming they were ‘very’ or ‘completely’ satisfied with their experience. On the back of this positive reaction, 87 per cent also declared themselves ‘likely to go to IMEX 2014’.
Hosted buyers spent an average of 15 hours on the show floor and met with an average of 28 exhibiting companies; while 6.5 per cent met 40-60 exhibitors over the three days.
“My visit to IMEX has been really worthwhile,” said Jennifer Ayres, Event Manager at Centaur Communications and IMEX Hosted Buyer. “I focus on long haul destinations and have been able to speak to key people from Asia, Sydney and Australia without racking up the air miles. Thanks to IMEX, I’ve secured business across three venues, which amounts to around €100,000 altogether.”
Of the new and added-value elements at IMEX this year, App Playtime was enjoyed by 30 per cent of survey respondents and IMEXLive, the new online window onto the show, by 25 per cent. IMEX’s BadgeBack programme – where every recycled badge generates a donation to the show’s two local CSR projects – gained more traction and was remarked upon by 53 per cent of buyers.
“It’s always fascinating to read the feedback, which we conduct among our main stakeholders – Hosted Buyers, intermediaries, visitors and exhibitors,” said Carina Bauer, IMEX Group CEO. “We pay special attention to those areas where we need to improve or change our approach, and we also benefit from industry professionals sharing new ideas and suggestions for adding more value.”
IMEX will next take place in Frankfurt, 20-22 May 2014.
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