Hundreds of meeting destinations are expected to exhibit at IMEX, a major meeting and incentive industry exhibition taking place May 12 to 14 at Messe Frankfurt, Germany. Alongside the well-known names, attendees will encounter such little-known destinations as Rotorua, New Zealand; Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic; and Mali, Africa. These emerging destinations were selected for the IMEX Wild Card slots this year, giving them free exhibition space.

Supplementing the exhibition — which in its inaugural year in 2003 drew 2,200 exhibitors from 119 countries — this year's educational topics include emerging convention destinations, meeting technology trends (specifically online auctions, venue searching, and registration), and working with destination marketing companies. Meeting Professionals International will run a session on its new research on women in leadership in Europe.

For information on the IMEX hosted-buyer program, contact Nikki Williams by e-mail at nikki@imex-frankfurt.com. Or to get more information on exhibitors, a virtual exhibition is online, allowing meeting professionals to request brochures or proposals. Go to www.imex-frankfurt.com/virtualex.php.

EIBTM Moves

Competing with the upstart IMEX, the Reed Travel Exhibitions' 2004 EIBTM show will take place later in the year than in the past — November 30 to December 2 — in a new city, Barcelona, Spain, at the Fira Gran Via exhibition hall.

For information on the EIBTM hosted buyer program or to get information on the exhibitors, visit the Web site at www.eibtm.ch.

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