Fresh focus on knowledge and education for IMEX

In response to growing demand for high quality professional education opportunities, IMEX has expanded the scope of its seminar programme for 2007. The leading meetings industry exhibition will now offer more than 35 different educational seminars and workshops throughout the three day trade show.

The programme has been designed to appeal to all levels of meetings industry management. Demand from German buyers and visitors has been so strong that, with the help of the German Convention Bureau (GCB), IMEX is now doubling the number of German language seminars on offer this year.

The IMEX Professional Development Pavilion, which is sponsored by the Convention Industry Council, will host nine short drop-in seminars.  Pavilion exhibitors are all providers of dedicated training and education services to the international meetings and hospitality industry. By concentrating their resources and course information in one place, IMEX has been able to provide visitors and exhibitors with an extremely useful and popular one-stop research service.

Carina Bauer, IMEX Marketing and Operations Director, explains, “The main thrust of the show will always be our desire to help visitors and exhibitors do the maximum amount of business in the most effective, timely and comfortable way. However, as IMEX has developed over the past five years, and our industry partnerships have flourished, it’s become clear that we have an important part to play in building valuable knowledge-sharing and education networks, both during the show and year-round. Our Future Leaders’ and Politicians’ Forums, for example, both demonstrate the long-term value of these efforts.”
Highlights of this year’s programme will be a dedicated workshop for a group of specially-invited UK corporate buyers plus a new seminar focussing on the German market, which will be organised by ICCA on Monday 16 April.
The main programme sees both ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) and MPI (Meeting Professionals International) presenting research findings and membership feedback that will shed light on trends and future directions in the meetings industry. Multicultural experts, Richard Lewis Communications, will present a session highlighting the issues connected with doing business with the emerging markets of India and China. The professional conference organisers’ association, IAPCO together with AIPC (International Association of Congress Organisers) will examine the impact of industry changes, such as the emergence of core PCO’s and association management companies, to see how this is affecting meetings industry working practices.  Other sessions will include presentations from the Destination Marketing Association (DMAI), the GCB and SITE (Society of Incentive & Travel Executives).

US keynote speaker
Aside from the strength of its seminar content and leadership, IMEX is also pleased to announce the participation of Roger Dow, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA). With 2,000 organisations as members, TIA is the national, umbrella organisation that represents and speaks for all segments of the $703 billion U.S. travel and tourism industry.
Speaking about his reasons for attending IMEX, Dow said, “IMEX has become increasingly influential in the global meetings market. The participation of US destinations and both association and corporate buyer groups has also grown since year one. Given that industry sentiment in the US is more buoyant and optimistic than it has been for several years, I am delighted to come to Frankfurt and spread a positive message about the potential business opportunities represented by the US travel market.”
Dow will be the keynote speaker at the IMEX Opening Ceremony on Tuesday 17th April together with Mr Volker Hoff, Minister for German and European Matters for the State of Hessen.