IMEX Frankfurt brings out delegates from over 100 countries

The following is an article by Trove Associate Olivia Silverman-Franklin.

This past week, the Travel and Tourism Industry reconvened in person for the IMEX convention in Frankfurt, Germany. The mood had an overwhelming sense of joy and optimism as the 20th year brought out over 100 countries coming together to show the vast investments that have been established during the pandemic for a more sustainable tourism future.

Recovery was the principal focus of this year's highly anticipated event. The pandemic impacted the events industry as it halted in person events and “hybridized” many significant global exhibitions and conferences. Many events saw event participant numbers dwindle.

When speaking about this event, the CEO of IMEX, Carina Bauer, spoke about how this one is vastly different than past events. "All the indicators suggest that 2023 and 2024 will be very good years for our industry. However, we can’t deny the challenges of a new business reality – labor shortages, travel disruptions, supply chain issues. However, planners are resourceful, adaptable and determined by nature. They’ve learned a lot, and I sense a strong determination to rebuild, but on new foundations. Equally, suppliers are doing their level best to flex and respond. The future looks bright.”

The Trove Team is especially looking forward to the many destinations ramping up their MICE amenities for the future of international business travel. Destinations such as Seoul, South Korea, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and Thailand have taken this hiatus to re-evaluate and adapt to rapidly changing work cultures and changing business needs.

In addition, we are delighted to see more destinations make an appearance and enter the tourism market to showcase their endless opportunities as a travel destination. "Among the announcements are ExCeL London’s expansion and new Elizabeth Line connection, Ethiopia’s new convention bureau, the launch of Transcend Cruises and St Louis’s new direct flight to Frankfurt." The MICE industry is no longer an industry that DMOs can ignore and many destinations have created convention bureaus or have built small but mighty MICE-specific marketing and sales teams devoted to growing the MICE accounts.

We are looking forward to the remainder of 2022 and until next year's IMEX event, Auf Wiedersehen!