IMEX 2005, the Worldwide Exhibition for Incentive Travel Meetings and Events, is 15% larger than last year…
IMEX 2005, the Worldwide Exhibition for Incentive Travel Meetings and Events, is 15% larger than last year and more than 40% bigger than when it launched in 2003 when it opens its doors for the 3rd time. 3,000 exhibiting organisations representing 140 countries will fill 15,000 square metres in Messe Frankfurt`s Hall 8 this week.
IMEX 2005 takes place against a backdrop of continuing positive momentum in the meetings industry. Research undertaken by MPI`s Future Watch 2005 and IMEX`s partner, the Travel Marketing Factory, both point to a second year of sustained growth in international meetings and business travel. This is borne out by the high volume of scheduled buyer appointments already made prior to today. Over 20,000 online appointments have already been booked suggesting a commitment to efficiency and a desire to get on with business.
3,000 hosted buyers (who travel and stay free as guests of the organisers) are scheduled to travel to IMEX from over 50 world markets during the next three days. 10% of them will arrive from long-haul destinations such as the USA, Middle East, Australia and China. These include several high profile buying groups including HelmsBriscoe, the largest site selection agency in the world, based in the USA, and MPI`s elite Global Corporate Circle of Excellence from the USA and Europe. A group from the UK`s influential Hotel Booking Agents Association is also set to attend. Adding to these visitor numbers will be more than 3,000 German trade visitors who will come here seeking new international suppliers.
Yesterday saw the third annual IMEX Association Day and Evening Reception which gathered 250 association executives together for a full day of educational workshops and debate. This has now become the largest meeting of association executives in Europe and the majority of these association buyers will remain in Frankfurt until Wednesday.
The growth of IMEX in 2005 is not only due to expansion by existing exhibitors. Demand from new exhibitors such as Barbados, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, New Zealand, the Philippines, Serbia & Montenegro, South Korea, Tunisia and Venezuela has also required expansion. Added to this is significant growth from the new EU nations and former Eastern European countries.
Four brand new meetings and incentive travel destinations will also be exhibiting at IMEX, thanks to the continued success of its Wild Card initiative (stand F440). This year`s winners are: Cameroon, Africa; Dakar, Senegal; Pau, France; and Timor-Leste (formerly East-Timor) from South-East Asia. Three new German destinations are also featured on the German stand (A100) for the first time this week.
Other IMEX New Vision initiatives have also continued to grow, resulting in a total of seven themed pavilions, 25 seminars and workshops and two dedicated forums. Themes include professional development, environmental and social responsibility, cross cultural skills, women`s leadership, meeting support technology, student motivation and development plus political lobbying and education.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
