Continued interest from buyers across Europe, and the emerging economies of Brazil, China and India, is fueling demand for places in the IMEX in Frankfurt-hosted buyer program. The 10th IMEX in Frankfurt tradeshow will take place May 22 -24, 2012 in Messe, Frankfurt, Germany. Exhibitor numbers are set to match or exceed 2011, and organizers have taken a new approach to the show’s education program.
As a result of a positive knock-on effect from IMEX America, Ray Bloom, IMEX Chairman, has said that several new U.S. intermediaries will be bringing their clients to the Frankfurt tradeshow for the first time. Despite a challenging past year for many European countries, demand from European buyers also remains high. With more than 20 new hosted buyer groups being added, the hosted buyer program is on target to beat all previous records. Plans are also in place to attract more corporate buyers to the show through a new forum for C-level buyers, many of whom do not usually attend industry exhibitions and events.
Among the anticipated 50 hotel groups at IMEX in Frankfurt will be Fairmont Hotels, Starwood and Kempinski. ATA Hotels will be taking a stand for the first time, while Best Western are returning to the tradeshow with their own stand.
A broad sweep of worldwide destinations will increase their presence at IMEX in Frankfurt, including: Boston, Brazil, Costa Rica, Croatia, Moscow, Paris, Slovakia, Sri Lanka and Turkey. Visit Pittsburgh will also return to the show.
This, the tenth anniversary of the award-winning tradeshow, will also see a reworking of its hallmark Association Day for association meeting planners. Three new education tracks, crowd-sourced discussion topics, and “Ask the Expert” clinics have all been introduced to give participants more choice, as well as extra time to take part in more sessions throughout the day. The provisional Association Day program is now online.
The IMEX in Frankfurt education program is also set to provide more than 100 different seminars, workshops and learning opportunities. 2012 education tracks will include marketing communication, Apps, health, sustainability and social media, plus a new visionary events series.
Among the speaker line-up for 2012 are: Martin Suiter, business consultant; Michael Luehrs, sustainability services manager, MCI; Charlie Banks, Positive Impact; Johanna Fischer, managing director, tmf dialogmarketing GmbH; and David Bancroft-Turner, managing director, Academy for Political Intelligence. The full education and seminar program is available online.
