WORLD – The IMEX Group, organiser of two global tradeshows for the meetings, incentive travel and events industry (IMEX Frankfurt and IMEX America), has agreed a host of new association partnerships together with several added-value developments to existing agreements.
Two new awards have also been added to the roster at the IMEX Gala Dinner in May. A new Destination Marketing Award will be presented by Destination Marketing Association International, and a new International Association of Exhibitions and Events International Excellence Award will recognise an individual or organisation who has made “exceptional strides in creating, launching and managing an international event in the exhibitions and events industry” over the past year.
As part of IMEX’s long term business strategy the company is starting to offer more tailored professional education to special interest groups in the German meetings and events sector. A new partnership with the German Association of Scientific Medical Societies sees the trade body co-locating a tax seminar on the morning of IMEX Association Day in Frankfurt to allow its members to attend the Association Day event in the afternoon as well as the evening networking reception.
IMEX is also formalising its partnerships with the Association of German Travel Managers (VDR). The results is an initial agreement for the VDR to market the Exclusively Corporate @IMEX day to its members to encourage them to attend as hosted buyers. More joint initiatives are planned as the partnership grows.
Continued expansion in the Asian meetings market in recent years has given rise to several new industry associations in the region, as well as growth in the number of hosted buyers attending the IMEX shows. The Philippines Council for the Advancement of Association Executives is one such association currently exploring ways of working together and its Executive Director will pay a formal visit to IMEX Frankfurt in May.
The long-standing partnership between IMEX and European Cities Marketing (ECM) has been expanded and in December ECM handed over 20 political signatories for the IMEX Declaration of Support during its CEO Meeting of Capital and Major Cities. This brings the number of signatories to the Declaration to just one short of its first-year target of 100 named supporters.
IMEX will also be collaborating with the International Association of Conference Centres (IACC) and Development Counsellors International (DCI) on a research study about generational differences in the meetings market. Results are set to be announced at IMEX in Frankfurt in May.
Another association partnership will see the International Special Events Society co-locating its 2014 board meeting with IMEX America in Las Vegas in October for the first time.
“IMEX America and IMEX in Frankfurt have both been built on a strategy of forming close, mutually beneficial working relationships with key industry associations,” says IMEX Group CEO, Carina Bauer. “These new partnerships demonstrate that there is still plenty of scope for innovation and expansion at both the shows.
“We will continue to work with relevant, specialist groups to ensure that IMEX offers ‘something for everyone’ while maintaining clear focus on our ultimate purpose: to enable and create face-to-face business between buyers and exhibitors,” she adds.
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