Meeting professionals will have to wait a little longer to clink glasses at IMEX in Europe. IMEX Group CEO Carina Bauer and Chairman Ray Bloom announced Monday that they would be canceling IMEX Frankfurt, scheduled for May 25-27 due to the global nature of the event and lack of international travel.
“We know the timing of our announcement comes as a blow so early in 2021. More than anything, and like you, we’re eager to deliver some good news and mark a fresh start,” the father-daughter executive team said. “We still believe wholeheartedly that a resurgence will come, but sadly we do not believe it will happen in time for us to deliver a strong and successful event in May.”
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Las Vegas is Still On
Bauer and Bloom said they were optimistic about the industry as a whole and were actively planning for IMEX America in Las Vegas, scheduled November 9-11. “The vaccine roll-out and improvements in rapid testing programs give us great confidence for the prospects of our industry and of travel in general. We are very confident that we’ll be able to deliver a successful IMEX America; as well as the 20th anniversary edition of IMEX in Frankfurt in 2022 (April 26-28).”
In the meantime, they are planning the next iteration of Planet IMEX, digital activations and experiences that unite and advance the business events industry to educate, innovate and help make powerful connections.
“We remain at the service of the industry and cannot wait to see all our industry friends again in person. When we do deliver another IMEX show—you can count on it being one worth waiting for,” they said.
