“It’s our first time at the show and we’re very excited. The reason we’re here is because the Ministry understands how much economic potential this industry has,” explained Daniella Garson from the Israel Ministry of Tourism. Meanwhile, Robin Miller, director of sales at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, said, “At my very first appointment today, we learned that somebody we’ve been talking to has decided to take the next step in going to come and see us. And we know that when people put their feet on the ground, we really start to move forward. Being at IMEX America means we can achieve a lot in a short period of time.”
Connections and collaboration spearheaded the second day of IMEX America, currently taking place in Las Vegas. David Meisner from Austin Marriott Downtown was one of the many exhibitors confirming business. “What a success! We have four or five really hot pieces of business. Everyone’s here! We’ve made so many valuable connections. The ROI is totally worth it,” he said.
The buyers were busy with appointments – “I’m in the process of confirming meetings and events in both Europe and the USA – a corporate group of 50 and a medical congress of 4,000,” explains hosted buyer Hugo Rosa from LKD Abatur in Mexico.
The power of positivity
Alongside the business on the show floor was expert-led education beginning with Michelle Gielan, MPI keynote. In The optimism quotient: changing our mindset, fueling success, she shared research showing the ripple effect that rational optimism can have on performance, profitability and happiness at work. “Being positive, optimistic and resilient drives every single educational, business and health outcome. It increases your productive energy by 31% and your chances of promotion by 40%.”
A dedicated technology education track covered the latest in smart project management, how to use speech recognition apps and presentation tools. “You need to consider how to use your event app strategically – turn it from a tool for attendees to a tool for yourselves” – this was the opening statement by Kate Gray from EventMobi in her session Rethink your event app: how to take your content and design to the next level. Kate shared examples of event apps and ideas on design, content and presentation.
One of the learning experiences at the Tech Zone, home to all the latest technology innovations, was a session by Tara Thomas from The Meeting Pool. In Understanding and leveraging the MarTech landscape, Tara recommended a goal-orientated approach to choosing and using tech and detailed specific measurement tools – “don’t invest in tech without having a plan,” she advised. Many buyers agreed on the increasingly important role of technology. “Technology helps to track and evaluate the process and make it much more manageable. When used properly, it can help to create remarkable customer experiences and really raise the bar,” said buyer Roxann Hendrickson from Hawaii Meetings+events.
“Being green used to be nice… now it’s imperative,” said Tammy Blount-Canavan, President and CEO of Monterey. Tammy joined forces with Fiona Pelham from Positive Impact Events to deliver the education session Future trends for the global event industry. Fiona described the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how events can be used to achieve them.
The learning opportunities at the show were welcomed by many attendees such as James Kim, corporate events manager at Netflix. He said: “Education is an important part of our company culture, our teams share knowledge and experiences to keep on top of trends. To see such a wide range of education here is a great aspect to the show.”
IMEX America continues until September 12 in Las Vegas.
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