IMEX America: Building a Legacy and Evolving Education Programs
August 28, 2018
IMEX America has announced that ‘Legacy’ will be the IMEX Talking Point for its 2018 exhibition.
The theme will come to life through a series of activities including a major research report, a keynote presentation, education sessions and a wall of inspiring legacy stories.
The show will begin with the opening Meeting Professionals International keynote ‘Legacy – the power of events’ on Smart Monday. Following this, Julius Solaris, editor of eventmanagerblog.com (EventMB), will be sharing findings from a major new industry research report developed in association with ProColombia.
ProColombia Vice President, Julián Guerrero, explains: “In the 21st century the meetings industry is not only asking questions about what a destination has to offer an event but also how an event can contribute to a destination. This is the idea of legacy.
EventMB will also be presenting a case study they produced for IMEX, titled “How Events Turned a City Around: The Legacy of Hull.” It tells the story of how UK city Hull strategically used events to both reinvent and regenerate itself after successive years of being voted ‘the worst place to live in Britain’.
On the show floor, IMEX America will be building a simple, rustic wall designed to display a gallery of legacy stories. These stories and case studies will be provided by exhibitors, individuals and IMEX staff as a way to inspire attendees with even more legacy ideas. Stories will be grouped into five categories: political legacy, knowledge economy, CSR, environmental and personal.
Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group commented; “We’ve seen and experienced interest in legacy building throughout the year as more people truly grasp its importance to our industry, society and among individuals.
“Our Talking Point has given the topic of legacy due recognition in the meetings, events and incentive travel sectors and this program of activities at IMEX America will add even more energy and momentum.
Education Program Evolves
IMEX America, taking place October 16-18 in Las Vegas, will live out its mission to ‘educate, innovate and help all its clients to make powerful connections with the right people’ by presenting a comprehensive education program each day of the show.
SmartMonday, powered by Meeting Professionals International (MPI), is a full day of free education and networking taking place on October 15 before the show opens. This includes sessions by MPI covering hot topics such as augmented reality, contract litigation, crisis management and women in leadership. The Event Design Collective is offering attendees the opportunity to gain the highly regarded Event Design Certificate (EDC) Program – Level 1 of Mastery. A full day workshop will introduce attendees to the Event Canvas Model, a strategic event management model for customer-centric events. The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) and Financial and Insurance Conference Professionals (FICP) will also join together to present their first pan-industry survey into incentive travel.
The Inspiration Hub, situated on the show floor, will be the central point of focus for education during the three days of the show covering 10 tracks including Business Skills, Creative Learning, Personal Development, Technology and Trends & Research.
With over 180 education sessions to choose from, attendees can tailor their show experience to suit their individual needs.
Engaging Education
Many of the key issues currently impacting the industry will be debated, challenged and advised on by experts, with many sessions taking an interactive and collaborative approach.
C2 International, the ground-breaking leader in business conferences, will deliver the show’s Thursday morning collaborative session – Emotions and Technology: An exploration of audience connection. One of C2’s stellar speakers will demonstrate show how C2 harnesses tech in new ways, opening up a world of opportunities to engage and delight participants on a whole new level.
Harvard University instructor, Susan Robertson from Sharpen Innovation, will show attendees how to develop and foster a Culture of Curiosity. James Morgan from Event Tech Labs and the University of Westminster presents the findings of a two year research project into creativity in events in Managing a creative environment. ‘Learn how to turn imagination into results’ is the aim of Blendz Events’ session, Fostering a creative culture in the workplace.
Delivering business success and delegate engagement are the focus of many other sessions including EventMobi’s Content: your secret weapon to inspire, engage and inform and Can a single trade show inspire an entire year of engaging content? by Robyn Davies, a consultant who specialises in trade show strategy. Attendees can also discover what’s on the horizon next year when American Express Meetings & Events reveal their 2019 global meetings and events trends.
Technology is always a cornerstone of IMEX America’s education and this year is no exception. Virtual reality, artificial intelligence, apps, blockchain and cryptocurrency are all explored, showing how these can be applied to events. The Meeting Pool will deliver a session on Apps to boost personal and professional productivity, showcasing the ‘latest and greatest’, to help planners get connected, stay organized and be collaborative.
Picking up on IMEX’s legacy Talking Point, BestCities Global Alliance will discuss impactful legacy stories, guidelines for building strong city collaboration and best practices for implementation and reporting. Their session – What societal impact can your meeting have on a city – is one of the many ways the theme of legacy will come alive at the show.
Alongside the show floor education are inspirational keynote and masterclass presentations which begin each day of the show, tapping into what’s hot in meetings and events right now – legacy, leadership, experiential formats and storytelling.
Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, sums up: “Our free education program evolves each year to embrace the latest developments, technologies and trends. The world of meetings and events is changing rapidly and these sessions help attendees to focus in on what’s new and what matters, ultimately supporting them in their business needs.
“The goal is for people to walk away with new ideas and inspiration that they can explore, discuss and pursue both at the show and long afterwards.”
The full, free program (no registration required) can be found here.
IMEX America takes place October 16 – 18, 2018 at the Sands® Expo and Convention Center at The Venetian® | The Palazzo® in Las Vegas, registration is free.