No time for standing still, says IMEX as group invests in nine new appointments

“Building back better is a phrase we’re hearing more and more both within and outside of the events industry. We’re living this at the IMEX Group and building up our resilience by investing in different parts of the business, beginning with some important new appointments and new roles within the company,” said Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group. She has underlined the importance of maintaining business investment during a challenging climate and announced a raft of new roles created within the business, with significant investment in systems, marketing and design. Gary Coombes joins as the IMEX chief information officer. Previously COO at Crunch accountants, he has also worked at EMAP and at UBM where he worked on acquisitions and new events, aligning Sales and Marketing across EMEA.  In his new role he will build on the consultancy he provided for the IMEX Group last year, managing systems integration and data initiatives. Danielle Colyer has been appointed as head of content and web. The former global head of content at YNV Group has extensive experience in international B2B and B2C marketing, brand and web with over a decade of experience in creating content for companies including the Digital Magazine Awards and Study Group. She said: “I am thrilled to join to the IMEX team. Content is an incredibly powerful tool in our marketing toolkit and something that IMEX does very well. My aim is to elevate this brilliant content across our entire web estate so it can engage, delight, inform – and ultimately, convert – our audiences.” Former art director at Grazia UK, Anna Gyseman joins as design manager focusing on graphic design, digital design, and brand guidelines. She will be complemented by the appointment of a junior designer. Other new roles within the IMEX Group include a senior sales manager in the Sales team, a data analyst in the Event Tech team and a new financial analyst. The Hosted Buyer team will hone its focus on client relationships with the appointment of two new relationship managers and a travel manager. “These new roles are part of our commitment to building the very best global tradeshows and marketplaces for the business events industry,” said Bauer, adding that, “the disruption of the past year pushed members of our team out of their comfort zones, often showcasing skills we – and they – didn’t even know they had. As a result, we’re reshaping elements of our organisation to give individuals more freedom and responsibility, allowing them to grow, shine and make a bigger contribution. “Just as our shows evolve to respond to the changing needs of buyers and exhibitors, our way of working also adapts. Now is not the time for our business to stand still. We believe it’s crucial to continue to invest in our talent, our culture and to create new opportunities for our team so we remain agile, creative and responsive to the shifts in the world. These changes will also help as we plan ahead for our next live show – IMEX America in November and our 20th anniversary at IMEX in Frankfurt in 2022.” IMEX America takes place 9–11 November at its new home Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.