In response to growing demand for high quality professional education opportunities, IMEX has expanded the scope of its seminar programme for 2007.
The leading meetings industry exhibition, which runs from April 17 to 19 in Hall 8, Messe Frankfurt, will now offer more than 35 different educational seminars and workshops throughout the three day trade show. The programme has been designed to appeal to all levels of meetings industry management.
Carina Bauer, IMEX marketing and operations director, explains, “The main thrust of the show will always be our desire to help visitors and exhibitors do the maximum amount of business in the most effective, timely and comfortable way. However, as IMEX has developed over the past five years, and our industry partnerships have flourished, it’s become clear that we have an important part to play in building valuable knowledge-sharing and education networks, both during the show and year-round. Our Future Leaders’ and Politicians’ Forums, for example, both demonstrate the long-term value of these efforts.”
Highlights of this year’s programme will be a dedicated workshop for a group of specially-invited UK corporate buyers plus a new seminar focussing on the German market, which will be organised by ICCA on Monday April 16.
The main programme sees both ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) and MPI (Meeting Professionals International) presenting research findings and membership feedback that will shed light on trends and future directions in the meetings industry. Multicultural experts, Richard Lewis Communications, will present a session highlighting the issues connected with doing business with the emerging markets of India and China.
The professional conference organisers’ association, IAPCO together with AIPC (International Association of Congress Organisers) will examine the impact of industry changes, such as the emergence of core PCO’s and association management companies, to see how this is affecting meetings industry working practices. Other sessions will include presentations from the Destination Marketing Association (DMAI), the GCB and SITE (Society of Incentive & Travel Executives).
The IMEX Professional Development Pavilion, which is sponsored by the Convention Industry Council, will host nine short drop-in seminars. Pavilion exhibitors are all providers of dedicated training and education services to the international meetings and hospitality industry.
Aside from the strength of its seminar content and leadership, IMEX is also pleased to announce the participation of Roger Dow, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA). With 2,000 organisations as members, TIA is the national, umbrella organisation that represents and speaks for all segments of the $703 billion US travel and tourism industry.
Dow will be the keynote speaker at the IMEX opening ceremony on Tuesday April 17 together with Volker Hoff, Minister for German and European Matters for the State of Hessen.
Over 3,300 companies representing 150 countries will exhibit at IMEX 2007, and over 3,500 hosted buyers from almost 60 world markets will attend IMEX 2007, amongst an overall trade visitor total of more than 7,500. An extensive library of IMEX research and industry research can be downloaded from http://www.imex-frankfurt.
com/dataexchange.html