IMEX America 2023
Biggest show ever
Robust comeback: IMEX America 2023 saw 15,029 participants gather at Mandalay Bay Las Vegas from 17 to 19 October. Photo: IMEX Group
Robust comeback: IMEX America 2023 saw 15,000 attendees gather at Mandalay Bay Las Vegas from 17 to 19 October. Photo: IMEX Group
IMEX America closes with a robust comeback for the global events industry, marking its largest show with 15,029 attendees. The show in Las Vegas has recovered from the the pandemic. Its Talking Point 2023 Human Nature provides the framing for the education programme and the She Means Business America conference.
The 12th IMEX America will go down in the history of the IMEX Group. It is their biggest show so far and a clear signal to the event market: Business is back! 15,029 participants have flown to Las Vegas to the Mandalay Bay. Among them are 5,364 buyers and more than 4,000 hosted buyers. IMEX America 2023 not only significantly surpasses IMEX America 2022 with 12,000 attendees, but pre-Corona year 2019 with 13,500 people. Its sister show in Frankfurt/Main has long since overtaken IMEX in Las Vegas.
“I’m delighted the industry turned out in such strong numbers from across the globe this week and that IMEX America once again provided a carefully-designed platform for everyone to come together for business, building better human connections around the world, growing and learning from each other”, explains Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group. She adds: “This was our biggest show ever, which was clear from the fact you can’t see the edges anymore!” Yet the geopolitical omens have been anything but good.
The Ukraine war continues and ten days before the show the terrorist organisation Hamas attacks Israel. The Convention Bureaus from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv cancel. In their statement on the unfolding situation in Israel, Carina Bauer and Ray Bloom, Chairman of the IMEX Group, condemn the terrorist acts. „As an industry and in society as a whole, only a zero-tolerance approach to acts of terrorism, antisemitism, racism and hate of any kind can be acceptable.” They remind, that the business events industry is one that is predicated on peace, inclusion and mutual respect. A moment of silence is held in Las Vegas.
Photo: IMEX Group
“In a world experiencing so much turmoil, it’s incumbent upon us to focus on the underlying impact of our industry – bringing people together for deeper human connections and mutual benefit”
Carina Bauer and Ray Bloom, CEO and Chairman of the IMEX Group
Las Vegas rocks: the sphere is open
Just two weeks before IMEX America, Las Vegas is making a name for itself: The rock band U2 opens the sphere event hall. 112 metres high and 157 metres wide, the spherical arena has room for 20,000 spectators. A good two billion US dollars have been invested in the 54,000 square metre LED display on the outer shell and the 15,000 square metre LED screen in the interior, among other things, promising a new virtual reality experience. Consequently, among the first visitors to the U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere concert are quite a few trade fair participants and trade fair boss Carina Bauer. She writes on Facebook: “@u2 at The Sphere was something else last night. I can only describe it as feeling like being in the screen. Wow 🤩 “What a way to kick off #imex23.”
For the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), it is the newest attraction. The desert city offers 1.3 million square metres for conventions and trade fairs and 150,000 hotel rooms for travellers. Three of the ten largest US convention centres are located here, such as the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) with more than 200,000 square metres of exhibition space and 225 conference rooms for 20 to 2,500 people, tunneled through the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop. Slightly smaller, but large by European standards, is the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The Capacities and Dimensions Guide lists the halls, halls and rooms in the North Convention Center and South Convention Center.
Robust Market: Ready to close business
At this year's IMEX America in the North Convention Center at Mandalay Bay, 3,400 exhibitors at 360 stands occupy around 17,800 square metres on sold space, with other areas such as the Inspiration Hub and association stands being added. This is an increase of 20 percent in space compared to 2022. Almost half of all exhibitors are expanding their stands, for example the hotel industry by 23 percent with brands such as Hilton and InterContinental. The US and Canadian exhibitors are increasing by 19 percent compared to 2022. “We invested in our own booth for the first time as we wanted a stronger presence at the show,” informs Daniel Palomo, Director of Global Sales for Houston First Corporation. “We’ve had more meetings than ever before and a great quality of buyers. They’re coming to us ready to close business.”
In total, there are 65 new stands, e.g. Santa Clara in California, Greenville in South Carolina and the Jio World Convention Centre in India. For Carina Bauer, these increases indicate the robustness of the market, which many thought would take three years or more to recover from the pandemic: “The global business events industry never fails to surprise in its ability to recover quickly from a set-back. These figures are good news for the market and bode well for short-term business and, importantly, long-term positive economic impact."
3,400 exhibitors present themselves at 360 stands at IMEX America. Photo: IMEX Group
3,400 exhibitors present themselves at 360 stands at IMEX America. Photo: IMEX Group
There are 30 exhibitors at the German Pavilion, including the German Convention Bureau, the Convention Bureau Frankfurt and Messe Frankfurt, the Locations Team of Messe München, as well as the Hamburg Convention Bureau and Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH with CCH – Congress Center Hamburg. "The American market is very important for us and we had promising customer discussions and enquiries," reports Heike Mahmoud, Chief Operating Officer at CCH. She rates the quality of the hosted buyers as very good. The fact that the visitors are very well prepared and get straight to the point with questions and RFP (Request for Proposals) impresses her. For Mahmoud, IMEX America is a "must-attend event" where she meets and exchanges ideas with many customers and partners; be it on trends, be it on challenges such as rising energy prices and the complexity of events.
„IMEX America once again stood out for its absolute quality and excellent networking opportunities! The who's who of associations and clients of the global business events industry was represented.“
Heike Mahmoud, Chief Operating Officer of CCH – Congress Center Hamburg and Member of the Board of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH
There is also a lot going on at the other stands during a total of 80,000 pre-scheduled meetings. New functions in the trade fair app make it easier to plan meetings. Buyers can book meetings via the interactive hall plan and schedule them consecutively at nearby stands to save time. Many exhibitors entice visitors with original activations. At Visit Phoenix, visitors queue up for a biscuit with their own photo, at Visit Baltimore for a temporary tattoo. Personalisation is one trend in the corridors, another is the recurring demand for incentives.
“We received many inquiries for incentives. It feels like companies want to reward employees after the pandemic and thank them for their support. This puts Europe in a good place – it’s a special place to go because many people haven’t been there for so long”, reports Simon Kromer, Manager Corporate USA and Canada at the Vienna Convention Bureau. This is echoed on the Viennese's LinkedIn account: “What a phenomenal experience it was to participate in the largest IMEX America to date!” Gratitude to the entire #IMEX community for fostering such an electric atmosphere of innovation and connection.”
She Means Business: Be You Disco
Creating connections requires inclusive events, but DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) requires continued scrutiny, influence and active participation. "It is vital that we champion inclusion in our sector to drive economic and social progress," cautions Amy Calvert, CEO at the Events Industry Council (EIC). Only their Equality Benchmarking Study 2022 shows that there is still room for improvement, especially in promoting ethnic diversity and equality in leadership positions.
Keynote speaker Dr. Diane Downing (left) and moderator Heike Mahmoud at She Means Business America. Dr. Downing is a family physician with professional interests that include women’s health. Photo: Heike Mahmoud, CCH – Congress Center Hamburg
The She Means Business America conference of the IMEX Group, MPI – Meeting Professionals and tw tagungswirtschaft is dedicated to gender equality and diversity on Smart Monday, the training day on the day before the fair. It is supported by OVG 360, Visit Seattle and Visit Fort Worth. Topics such as health, wellbeing and personal development are at the forefront. "She Means Business was a great success!" says Heike Mahmoud. The Hamburg resident by choice has supported the conference since its premiere in Frankfurt in 2018 and in Las Vegas in 2019. Mahmoud is pleased about the open exchange and the interest in Dr Diane Downing's keynote: "Optimal health throughout life". In the session "Your scarlet letter: redefining shame as strength", women learn how to become self-aware of shifting standards and scarcity mindsets. In the session "Dare to interrupt: unfiltered advice from leading women" they get advice from women like Chandra Allison, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Growth at Oak View Group.
Inspiration Hub: Ideas by the minute
2The hub for education is the Inspiration Hub with various environments such as the Google Xi CoLaboratory and the People and Planet Theatre from IMEX and EIC. More than 2,000 participants attend the 150 education slots in the six tracks: Technology and innovation, Trends and research, People and planet, Business practices, and Experience design and Event marketing. Sessions are held every 30 or 45 minutes. Rising costs and artificial intelligence are driving everyone.
During her session Exploring the untapped potential of AI in the events industry, Heather Munnell von der Experiential Event Design Agency VDA explains: “The key is to take on AI as a tool that helps facilitate your business model – it’s about working smarter not harder. There are several solutions – including free options – which, when used correctly, can really enhance our work and help us solve problems. For instance, you can ask ChatGPT to provide a list of 10 venues in a city and use this as your starting point for further research.”
Over 2,000 participants attend the 150 sessions in the Inspiration Hub with the Google Xi CoLaboratory and the People and Planet Theater. Photo: IMEX Group
The programme also includes 20 sessions on mindfulness and wellness. Google Xi's pop-up wellness clinic and resilience room will promote participants' well-being and provide them with tools and techniques to manage fatigue and overwhelm. For IMEX Group, this is not an accessory, but the foundation for productive business and networking experiences. The Talking Point 2023 Human Nature underpins this.
"Well-being is no longer a luxury or a side issue in business," emphasises CEO Carina Bauer. "It is at the heart of the enjoyment and desired return on investment of a major networking event like this. Where once business was – and still is – done on the golf course, today other sports and wellness interests bring together a greater number of people and often lead to business." Next opportunity for IMEX America 2024 with Smart Monday on 7 October and the show from 8 October to 10 October in Las Vegas.
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