Las Vegas, Nevada, Tuesday October 17 - The business value of the industry coming together at IMEX America was clear to see within minutes of the 12th edition of the award-winning show opening today.  

IMEX America, which runs until Thursday October 19 at Mandalay Bay, welcomed a vast, global array of buyers and suppliers eager to get down to business.  

London’s ExCeL’s Andrew Farrelly-Swanston explains: “I received a walk-up inquiry for a sales kick off meeting for 2025 – and that was before I’d even finished my first cup of coffee! I also bumped into a contact at the hotel check-in and we’ve arranged to meet on the show floor to sign a contract for a medical association event in 2026 – talk about serendipity!”  

“Within the first thirty minutes of the show opening, we’d already had multiple unscheduled visitors representing some very high-volume meetings, who all gave us verbal commitments and solid next steps,” said Silke Koehnecke, managing director, specialty sales for Southwest Airlines. 

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 Image: learning sessions at IMEX America. Download here

Challenges and opportunities 

With business front and center, the 150-session strong learning program has been designed to enhance the thousands of meetings taking place. MPI previewed their latest Meetings Outlook survey, sharing the sheer scale of the sector: out of the 336,000 jobs created in the US last month, 96,000 were in leisure and hospitality*. The survey revealed the current challenges faced by meeting professionals, which include budgeting, staffing and talent, and client expectations, with cost management topping the list. 

Managing costs was a hot topic at many of the show’s learning sessions, including Savoring savings: how to navigate rising event F&B costs. Jaclyn Bernstein, Empire Force Events; Stephanie Krzywanski, JR Global Events; John McKinnon, ConferenceDirect, and Eating at A Meeting’s Tracy Stuckrath delved into the complexities of managing annual cost increases and how to approach negotiations with hotels from a value-added point of view. The panel emphasized the value of collaborating with chefs and Conference Service Managers (CSMs) for dining options that are cost effective and creative, particularly by utilizing local and seasonal foods. 

With a busy pipeline of events, planners are being challenged to flex their creative muscles time and again. Encore, leaders of in-person, virtual and hybrid events, delivered their newest interactive, event-design experience - Break Free: Continuing the Journey. 

“Design thinking is one of the most powerful ways for event professionals to approach their events,” said Anthony Vade, Encore event experience strategy director. “It allows them to navigate the complexities that exist in stakeholder relationships and find the most elegant solution to create the change that events need to create.” 

Maya Jaguar, Transformation Coach and Interfaith Reverend, also showed a way to breathe new life into events by leading an experiential ritual featuring drummers for an audience of 70+ people. Maya explains: “Rituals are a practice that are 70,000 years old but have real relevancy today. They’re a gateway to the creative side of the mind as they fire up all the senses.”  

This was one of several morning sessions that set the tone for a busy day focused on fostering better human connections and shared business benefits.  

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Image: Rev Maya Jaguar. Download here

IMEX America continues to Thursday October 19 at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. 

* Bureau of Labor Statistics:-  https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/payroll-employment-up-by-336000-in-september-2023.htm 

ENDS 

Notes to editors 

IMEX America 2023 takes place at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, and opens with Smart Monday, powered by MPI on Monday October 16, followed by the three-day trade show October 17 -19. www.imexamerica.com  

The latest news and high-res photos: https://imexamerica.com/press-and-media  

For interviews, press events and other enquiries contact the PR team: emma.blake@imexevents.com or head to the on-site Press Center, sponsored by Arizona, open from 0900 each day of the show.