IMEX Frankfurt was abuzz this week with new releases and developments from exhibitors. Here are a few that caught our attention.
An estimated 50,000 meetings between buyers and exhibitors took place this week at IMEX Frankfurt, held at Messe Frankfurt. Exhibitors represented all corners of the globe, from London to Thailand, as well as many lesser-known destinations—Penang, Rwanda and Sarawak, to name three. Here are a few highlights:
Experience Profiles
This year, IMEX rolled out Experience Profiles™, a design thinking tool that help us to understand ourselves and each other better, in conjunction with Storycraft Lab. Attendees who were quick to post their results on social media (“I’m an Adaptor!” or “I’m an Exporer!”). Learn more about the methodology and get an overview of the quiz here.
Destination Canada Legacy & Impact Study
Destination Canada’s Virginie De Vissger, The Iceberg, #MEET4IMPACT and Gaining Edge shared the first results of their groundbreaking Legacy & Impact Study, which aims to shed light on the beyond-tourism benefits of business events by tracking the long-term outcome of events hosted in Canada up to 2025. Early findings reveal that events can leave an extraordinary policy, financial and intellectual legacy by leveraging four key factors: government participation, external collaboration, Destination Marketing Organization involvement and pre-event activities. See the full Insights Report here.
Sustainable Destination DC
Destination DC shared its sustainability successes with IMEX attendees; Among them, in March, it hosted an inaugural Sustainability Summit in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the DC Department of Energy and Environment, the American Society of Association Executives and the local hospitality community to explore how to make Washington, DC’s tourism and events industry more sustainable and to make it easier to learn about the sustainability initiatives at local hotels and venues.
EIC Future Landscapes Study Launched
Amy Calvert, CEO of the Events Industry Council, reminded the audience at the launch of EIC’s new Future Landscapes Survey that if the global events industry were a country, it would be the 13th most powerful by economic impact (GDP): “As an industry we’ve tended to be reactive in the past. Now it’s time to work more closely together, to be more informed and proactive and to lead with a higher purpose.”
UK’s First B Corp: Purpose over Profit
Attendees learned that a growing number of global companies are reinventing business impact by pursuing purpose over profit. At one of the show’s education sessions, “B better: Exclusive Collection’s Impact as a Socially Conscious Business,” Danny Pecorelli, managing director of Exclusive Collection, discussed his company’s journey to become the UK’s first B Corp accredited hotel company. “It’s not bad to make a profit, it’s how you make a profit that counts. It’s not just about what you do, but also the impact you’re making in terms of who you work with. We ensure we do our due diligence across the supply chain,” he said.
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