Unless you’ve sunk to wearing sneakers around the exhibition hall and to evening receptions, there’s a good chance your feet will take a beating during IMEX. The route from your hotel to the Sands Expo isn’t the Appalachian Trail, but it may as well be if you’ve got a blister. Protect yourself by putting moleskin patches on the areas that rub, before the blisters form. This really is the time for sensible shoes. 

Take a few minutes now to find out what educational sessions are running when you don’t have exhibitor appointments. If you don’t do that ahead, fugitaboutit! You’re guaranteed to get distracted and miss out on some great content. Here are two sessions we definitely want to make time for:  

Tuesday, 1:00: Stephanie Harris, director of global marketing at American Express Meetings & Events will lead a session called “Be proactive to 2017—meetings trends!” exploring what’s coming in the year ahead.

Tuesday, 2:00: Maritz’s Mary Anne Zoldak is leading a session on the role our industry can play in uncovering human trafficking. 

Sure the networking is great and the after-hours events are fab, but it’s hard to enjoy yourself at IMEX unless you also check off the must-do items on your business agenda. Make sure you have everything on hand to talk in detail about your pending meetings and incentives, or to hash out the details of an almost-signed contract. Don’t waste your time!

Your sneakers may not be appropriate for walking the show floor (too bad) but don’t forget to bring them, along with your favorite water bottle. Keeping up with your exercise routine is guaranteed to make you feel great, and in the dry desert air, hydration is essential. The IMEX fun run at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning is sold out (but that shouldn’t keep you from running the route with your colleagues).

If you’re in Las Vegas on Monday and can spare a couple hours before the SITE Night networking extravaganza or whatever you’re got planned for the evening, join your IMEX colleagues for Garbage Grabbers, a community service activity that runs from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the city’s Sunset Park. More details here. 

Here’s one last plug for the wealth of educational sessions planned Monday through Thursday at IMEX. Check your appointment schedule and see what you can fit in. How about:

Monday, 10 a.m.: A report on the J.D. Power/SITE Foundation survey looking at the latest trends in incentive travel

Wednesday, 10 a.m.: Do you think a social dining experience could ever work for your group? Learn about this growing trend from the founder of VizEat.