Ahead of IMEX Frankfurt in May, the IMEX Group has announced the next evolution of its Talking Point with the topic for 2025: Impact 2.0 – Activating the Future. The company’s annual Talking Point forms a focus for the year ahead, anchoring IMEX show content, research and storytelling as well as providing a theme for exhibitors, partners and attendees to explore.
The 2025 Talking Point is a continuation of the Impact topic launched last year, but developed to address the current global climate and with a firm focus on taking positive action and using events to make real, lasting change happen.
‘There’s no impact without action’
Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, explains: “When we introduced Impact as our 2024 Talking Point, we wanted to spark change – to get the industry thinking more deeply about why we do what we do. But we quickly realised one year wasn’t enough. The world has only become more disconnected, and the role of face-to-face events has never been more critical.
“We’re now seeing a global shift. People are craving more social connection and longing for that special shared energy that you can only experience in person. So, we’re evolving the conversation with Impact 2.0 – Activating the Future. It’s about going beyond inspiration and turning values into action. Because let’s face it, there’s no impact without action.”
Three pillars
The Talking Point focus is on three key areas where events have the potential to deliver the most impact:
The Next Gen: According to Forrester research, 74% of the workforce is projected to comprise Millennials and Generation Z by 2030. We’ll explore how to make the events industry irresistible to this talent pool.
Social Disconnection and Loneliness: In 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched the Commission on Social Connection, calling loneliness “a pressing health threat”. IMEX will be asking how event and intentional experiential design can answer this rapidly growing need for belonging, friendship and restorative connections.
De-risking the Future: We’re now only five years away from the 2030 target set out in the Paris Climate Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. How do we make the carbon cost of attending events more worthwhile and demonstrate a credible return on carbon investment?
IMEX Frankfurt, taking place 20-22 May, will share many ways for planners to explore these three areas.
