New COO appointed at IMEX Group

Gary Coombs has been appointed chief operating officer at the IMEX Group. In this newly created role, Coombs will lead the implementation of processes and structures at the global trade show business. He will also join the Group’s Board. The new role was created as part of an operational review of the business, which has 80+ staff and Coombs will coordinate teams across various departments to ensure the delivery of the company’s vision and initiatives. The Operations department, Marcomms, and IT & Transformation will all report to him. Founded in 2001, IMEX held its first trade show, IMEX Frankfurt, in Germany in 2003 and expanded to the US with the launch of IMEX America in Las Vegas in 2011. Its award-winning events regularly attract over 13,000 industry professionals from 100 countries. Coombs said of his new role: “’Achieve together’ is one of our company values, and we simply wouldn’t be able to deliver our shows without the best-in-class structures, culture, and processes to support the hard work our team puts in every day. I’m excited to help our talented and passionate team continue to drive the business forward and lead the way.” Carina, CEO of the IMEX Group, said: “The beating heart of our company is our two shows – IMEX Frankfurt and IMEX America – and ensuring they continue to deliver business benefit, inspiration, and connections to the global meetings and events community is our core goal. In his new role, Gary will ensure our teams are best placed to achieve this. We’re delighted to appoint him as COO and look forward to continuing to work with him to deliver the impactful, forward-thinking shows we’re renowned for.”