This year’s IMEX America education program, an important adjunct to the show’s powerful business and networking engine, combines education, entertainment and clever new formats to appeal to seasoned veterans, industry first-timers and everyone in between.
As always, all IMEX professional education, including the show’s specialist events for association, corporate and agency planners, is provided free of charge. All IMEX America education is delivered within six tracks: Technology and innovation; Trends and research; People and planet; Business practices; Experience design and the increasingly popular Event marketing. Attendees can choose from over 150 sessions, many of them taking place on the show floor’s newly redesigned, multi-theatre Inspiration Hub, sponsored by Webex.
Expect the unexpected
The Party Scientist – aka Jacques Martiquet – more than fits the description of ‘unexpected’. An ‘international joy facilitator’ for Fortune 500 companies and international events, his aim is to help corporate leaders apply the science of human connection. Jacques explains: “My mission is to give as many people as possible the greatest antidepressant: Joyful Human Connection. I do this by uniting and uplifting humans as a speaker, workshop facilitator, entertainer and… party crasher.”
How can you use visuals to tell a story? This question sits at the heart of a series of daily filmmaker workshops. Creatives from around the world will share their own films and then lead a workshop unpacking how they approached various themes including identity and regenerative tourism.
Encore, Maritz Global Events, DRPG and PCMA are among the organizations sharing new – and often surprising – ways to use technology. Sessions cover AI, the metaverse and hybrid events, centring on real-world experiences and how these technologies are being applied. Tahira explains: “We’re focusing on the human implications of technology. For example, how AI can free up time – our most prized asset, surely? – allowing us all to be more creative.”
Google Xi’s new CoLaboratory
IMEX America 2023 also marks a new milestone in the development of the Google Xi CoLaboratory. With a focus on collaborative exploration, learning and growth, Google and various exhibiting partners and speakers have devised a special program of sessions and spaces focused on experience design and the principles of belonging.
Acclaimed disability advocate, Maayan Ziv, founder of AccessNow and part of IMEX AVoice4All – thought leadership – in association with Destination Toronto, will also be sharing her specialist knowledge: “We’ve seen a considerable shift since the pandemic – an acceleration of organizations’ awareness and understanding of accessibility. It’s a potent economic driver that brings benefits for everyone.”
In line with current trends and preferences, well-being activities will be embedded across the show and in various styles designed to offer life-hacks, learning, coaching, fitness, nutritional and mental health guidance.
IMEX America 2023 takes place at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, and opens with Smart Monday, powered by MPI on Monday, October 16, followed by the three-day trade show October 17-19.