IMEX announces new BuzzHub digital platform

The IMEX Group is aiming to create a buzz among the global meetings community with the launch of a new digital platform, IMEX BuzzHub, on 12 May. The new digital experience will run for over four months from May to September and is powered by Swapcard and managed by creative agency, Smyle. The IMEX BuzzHub will offer the global events community a platform of opportunities to learn, share knowledge and network based professional and personal interests. The new concept, IMEX says, draws on customer research plus lessons learned from two editions of PlanetIMEX in 2020. IMEX’s agencies, partners and other experts have all played a role in shaping the content and formats which will allow visitors to choose from a variety of activities and sessions – all free of charge. Collaborations, connections and community Monthly ‘Buzz Days’ will take their lead from IMEX’s 12 Commitments for 2021 starting with a day of programming centred on Collaborations, Connections and Community on 12 May. The first Buzz Day will start with an introduction and welcome by IMEX Group chairman, Ray Bloom and CEO, Carina Bauer. It will be followed by 20-minute keynotes, intimate campfires with speakers and topic-focused roundtable discussions. The day will close with a heavyweight panel focusing on the role that events play in building and maintaining communities, facilitated by Julius Solaris, head of engagement at Swapcard. The monthly Buzz Days will be interspaced with networking, specialist education, community get togethers and IMEX staples, such as the IMEXrun. “The IMEX BuzzHub is designed to give tangible value to our buyers and suppliers and, ultimately, to set them up for success at IMEX America,” explains Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group. “Our team has worked hard, collaborating with our partners Smyle and Swapcard, to create a collection of exciting engagement opportunities for the whole of the business events sector. With so much of our industry still in flux, and expectations and attention levels changing so fast, we’ve intentionally added plenty of time and space for networking, for meeting new people with shared interests and for business conversations. We’ve combined the formal with the informal, all the time remembering that people want to get a fix on the current state of the industry and, most importantly, the ‘who’s who’ of its community.” She continues: “Now’s the perfect time to launch the IMEX BuzzHub – not only does it bring together everyone on the ‘Road to Mandalay Bay’ in the run up to IMEX America, but it’s also a timely nod to Nature, our Talking Point. Spring is the busiest time of year for bees and those who know our face-to-face shows will remember the famous IMEX buzz that hits when you first walk into the hall!” Registration for the IMEX BuzzHub is free of charge and opens soon. IMEX America place 9–11 November 2021 at its new location – Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. It is preceded by Smart Monday, powered by MPI on 8 November.  www.imexamerica.com