A look ahead at what lies in store at IMEX Frankfurt 2023
At the heart of each IMEX show is a living, breathing marketplace – the fundamental and effective way of doing business that powers our industry,” explains Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group. She adds that all elements of this year’s IMEX Frankfurt show have been carefully curated to complement in-person business conversations. “We’re seeing momentum building and look forward to throwing open the doors to our friends and colleagues this May.”
Trends-wise the show will reflect many of the big shifts and changes in the meetings industry. As a buying force, the Chinese market is back and Asia in general is flourishing, driving event demand, locally and internationally. The big tech companies in Korea are one of several factors behind this growth.
International hotel groups plus smaller boutique hotels will be making their presence felt on the show floor. Frankfurt itself has added to its hotel portfolio with several new openings including the Scandic Hafenpark and B’Mine, the first WorldHotels Crafted Collection hotel in Germany, and NH hotels signature Nhow brand which IMEX is showcasing as hosted buyer accommodation in the city.
Destinations, venues, and suppliers span the world and include Croatia, Malaysia, Peru, Portugal, Ras Al Khaimah and Spain. Hotel groups Hilton, IHG Hotels & Resorts and Radisson are among the exhibitors expanding their presence on-site as well as Los Cabos and Morocco. Sarawak, the largest of Malaysia’s 13 states, will have its own stand for the first time.
Experts from Google, Microsoft & Pinterest
A programme of 150 educational and networking events will begin with dedicated learning sessions the day before the show, on 22 May. That Monday programme is tailored to specific sections of the event professional community:
- The complexities of delivering events in a hybrid world will be explored at Association Focus, delivered in association with ICCA, AC Forum, AMC Institute, ASAE, ESAE and Global Association Hubs.
- A line-up of experts from world-renowned companies will spearhead Exclusively Corporate, IMEX’s invite-only event for corporate event specialists. Google, Meta, Microsoft, Pinterest, SAP and Salesforce will all be sharing insights.
- IMEX’s Agency Directors Forum will focus on business management issues. Hot topics are set to include people and talent management, plus new revenue generation models.
- New co-located events for 2023 include MICE Impact Academy, an invite-only education event for German planners, and ELX (Event Leaders Exchange), a two-year-old community of senior corporate event leaders from 3,000+ headcount organisations who run more than 700 events per year.
Human Nature underpins learning programme
The IMEX 2023 Talking Point – Human Nature focuses on what it means to be human in the 21st century. When we meet in person something special happens – from driving business growth to developing relationships that span the world. This need to come together and meet is innate to our human nature, Bauer notes, adding: “Our Talking Point also helps to deliver a positivity boost – we’re focusing on what’s good, constructive and loving about human nature.”
The result is a set of new education tracks reflecting the way people live and work now.
Event Marketing is a new addition. A new Business Practices track will include the Event Planner Toolkit, while a People and Planet track will address Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Professional and Personal Development, Leadership, Culture and Engagement, Wellbeing and Sustainability.
Headline sessions will feature contributions from human behaviour expert David Allison, and international crisis leader Thomas Lahnthaler will talk about building successful remote teams.
The Listening Lab returns with bookable one-to-one coaching. Sessions will explore how people’s individual natures influence their professional personas.
IMEX Frankfurt 2023 takes place 23–25 May at Messe Frankfurt.
