A global show with many micro-moments: IMEX in Frankfurt

17.05.2022

With just two weeks until IMEX in Frankfurt, over 2,800 buyers from across the world – spanning agencies, corporates, independents and associations – are busy building their show schedules and making appointments to meet and do business with an international roster of suppliers for the first time in three years.

Exhibitors from 90+ countries will be represented at the show, taking place 31 May – 2 June. This includes a large number of Asian destinations – Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan and Hong Kong among others - as well as all the key European countries plus a strong presence from North & South America, including Canada, Brazil and Costa Rica.
This year’s edition sees the largest ever African representation, including Rwanda, Tunisia, Uganda and South Africa, with Ethiopia using IMEX to launch its new convention bureau. Middle Eastern destinations also make a strong showing and include Dubai, Israel, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, explains: “The scale of this year’s show reflects how the events sector is truly back in business and starting to thrive again. Demand for face to face events has bounced back in a big way – there are three major tradeshows taking place concurrently at Messe Frankfurt alongside ours and this is the first time that’s happened in our 20 year history.

“So much has changed over the past three years – for the world and for our industry,” continues Carina. “Our sector hasn’t stood still though, with continued investment in infrastructure, new products, business models and services. I therefore encourage all buyers to catch up through both 1-2-1 appointments and stand presentations with the global range of exhibitors to discover how destinations, venues and more have evolved. It’s important to make no assumptions right now. Everything has changed and therein lies the value of this year’s IMEX. It’s the ultimate living representation of our global market – an important snapshot in time.”

IMEX in Frankfurt, at its core a global marketplace, has also evolved to reflect the current climate for planners. With many event professionals now facing challenges around budgets, resources, supply chains and recruitment, the show has been designed to include many micro-moments specifically tailored to support the individual as well as education and discussion designed for particular roles and responsibilities. IMEX is supporting specialists with dedicated learning for association, agency and corporate executives taking place the day before the show, on Monday 30 May. Exclusively Corporate is set to welcome experts from SAP, Bolt Financial and Siemens Healthineers (as well as a former Premier League Footballer and high performance coach) for case study-led education and peer-to-peer discussions.

Agency planners can shape the focus of IMEX’s co-created Agency Directors Forum, choosing what best fits their needs from subjects including: growth opportunities; adapting to a changed event landscape; trends and technology impacting business strategy, and expectations of clients and employees around DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion).
Separately, Association Focus will deliver learning and networking exclusively for association professionals of all levels. The collaborative programme offers insight, inspiration and real-world recommendations and resolutions to the challenges facing associations across the world today.

Underpinning this series of tailored events is the show’s wider programme of free learning where all attendees can choose from 150+ educational events to create an individual programme of forward-thinking professional and personal development to suit their own needs. Tracks include: Trends & Future foresight; Professional Development and Upskilling; Creativity in Communication; Diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility; Innovation and Tech; and Purposeful Recovery.

“We’re set to give the global business events community the value, connections and support that it needs right now. IMEX in Frankfurt is a show that’s international in scope, but with many smaller value-intensive moments blended in – from face to face business meetings, coffee catch ups, dedicated learning and discussions designed for different sectors of the industry. We’re really excited to see how the industry is building forwards again and look forward to welcoming our community back to IMEX in Frankfurt later this month,” concludes Carina. IMEX in Frankfurt takes place 31 May – 2 June 2022 - the business events community can register here. Registration is free.