James Rees from ExCeL London, says: “We’ve met clients who we’ve previously hosted, such as VidCon, who are returning to us to discuss bringing their event back to our venue in 2024 and 2025. There’s been a huge shift of staff in the industry, so the show is a chance for us to meet our old contacts in their new roles and build relationships with new people.”
Visit Scotland’s Richard Knight, adds: “It’s all about filling that pipeline for 2023/2024 and planners are scouting many new venues and hotels. We are definitely taking inquiries and normally we convert a good proportion of these into business.”
This year’s IMEX America is marked by a particularly strong turnout from North American exhibitors. Amy Brown from Fort Worth Convention Bureau explains: “We’ve invested in the show – we have our own booth for the first time – but it’s been worth it and our partners are pleased. Yesterday, one of our hotel partners closed a deal at the show for a medical event.”
“We’ve spoken to a wide range of global planners and today I arranged a city tour for a planner from Venezuela to scout locations for a financial event in 2024,” said Prince Williams from Marriott’s W Nashville.
Sustainability is driving business
Sustainability is continuing its rise as a key driver of business conversations and Vancouver’s impressive track record played a part in securing substantial new leads. Lacy Garvey from Destination Vancouver explains: “We’ve received a number of city-wide leads at IMEX which for us is groups larger than 1,000 using the convention centre and at least three large hotels. One of the leads is from a very large tech company that is very impressed with our sustainability practices – in fact, our focus on sustainability was one of the key deciding factors. They gave us feedback that we did a really good job of showing them that we don’t just say it – we actually live it.”
“Sustainability and wellbeing are now leading many of our conversations with planners,” says Suzanne Watson from Liverpool Convention Bureau. “We’re having detailed conversations about food waste, carbon footprint and wellness breaks.”
The show is fuelling fresh ideas as an attendee, Li Hayes of Go Leeward explains: “What I love about this event is that it’s fresh. There are things here that I’ve never seen before. Things I’ve done that I’ve never done before. I can’t wait to see what you do next time.”
IMEX America continues until October 13 at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. Find out more about the event here.
