Europe’s two major international meeting and incentive travel exhibitions—IMEX, a spring show in Frankfurt, and EIBTM, a late fall show in Barcelona—continue to woo attendees with generous hosted-buyer programs and a growing slate of seminars and focused educational and networking opportunities.
IMEX, which opens its fifth annual event April 17-19, is hoping to break its 2006 record of 3,300 exhibitors from 150 countries and 3,412 hosted buyers from 57 countries.
In addition to the research and business opportunities on the show floor, IMEX attendees can choose between two morning seminars each day, certified for CMP credits. The subjects range from “Seven Steps to Initiate a Strategic Meeting Management Program” to a future trends panel to a presentation on Meeting Professionals Internationals’ FutureWatch 2007 study.
Other special interest programs include the 2007 Women’s Forum, with a presentation on Communicating for Success in a Global Environment. The forum will be moderated by Pat Durocher, managing director of HelmsBriscoe International, and Mary Power, president of the Convention Industry Council.
IMEX has placed special emphasis on its Corporate Responsibility Centre, where exhibitors and visitors can get advice on environmental and social responsibility programs for their meetings and events. The Centre itself will be built from environmentally responsible stand materials by ExpoForce GmbH. In a related initiative, IMEX, working with the Green Meeting Industry council, will again bestow its Green Awards—including the Commitment to the Community Award, Green Meetings Award, and Green Exhibitor Award—during the IMEX Gala Dinner.
Other IMEX programs that will run during the show include a cross-cultural skills workshop, the Future Leaders Forum for students, a Professional Development Pavilion, and the Wild Card Pavilion which shows off emerging meeting destinations.