The
10th edition of IMEX in Frankfurt has closed with organisers announcing
a 21 per cent rise in the number of individual buyer appointments and
similar visitor numbers as 2011.
IMEX Group Chairman Ray Bloom reported 64,000 appointments took place
across the three-day exhibition, at Messe Frankfurt, between buyers and
visitors with 4,000 hosted buyers attending the show and 9,000 visitors.
Bloom said: “Appointment numbers are a key business indicator.”
This year’s education programme was described by Bloom as the show’s “most ambitious to date”.
Nearly
140 separate seminars, workshops and short-session campfires took place
and sessions on social media, innovative event design and sustainable
meetings were particularly popular with visitors.
Bloom said: “Our education programme allows show participants to prove
stronger return on investment (ROI) and we will continue to review and
develop it.”
For 2013, Bloom said a new education programme for corporate buyers
would be introduced. The model he said would be “similar to Association
Day, although smaller in scope, and will enable us to bring more high
quality buyers from leading markets around the world”. The 2012
Association Day was reworked and Bloom said: “continued to be a flagship
event for the show”.
The Politicians Forum, was also a highlight of the show, according to
Bloom. “It effectively raised the bar for our future forums,” he said.
“The presence of Gloria Guevara Manzo, Minister of Tourism For Mexico in
particular said it all,” added Bloom. “Here was a politician who has
committed passionately and knowledgably to using the meetings and events
potential of her country as a catalyst for future growth. The fact that
she flew into Frankfurt just to attend the Forum demonstrates the value
of IMEX as a global industry showcase.”
Talking about IMEX America in Las Vegas in October, Bloom said:
“Increases are planned across all parts of the show. The opening of 14
new gates at the city’s international airport later this year is also
good news for us.”
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