Expect the Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) celebrations to continue at IMEX Frankfurt this week when the trade show runs April 19-21 at Messe Frankfurt.
While much of the meetings and events industry celebrated GMID last week, IMEX will keep the party going during the annual international trade show. The IMEX Frankfurt Politicians Forum will highlight the valuable contributions that the meetings and events industry makes to economies worldwide. Politicians and policy makers will share best practice and discuss how destinations are preparing for the challenges over the coming years.
Participating politicians will hear all about Global Meetings Industry Day at the IMEX opening ceremony from keynote speaker David DuBois, past chair of Convention Industry Council and president and CEO of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE).
Sharing Economy at IMEX Frankfurt
A key topic at this year’s trade show will be the sharing economy. Speakers will include several sharing economy entrepreneurs such as Caleb Parker, CEO of MeetingRooms.com; Jean-Michel Petit, CEO and co-founder of Vizeat.com; Gary Schirmacher, senior vice president of Experient, A Maritz Travel Company; and Damian Oracki, co-founder of Showslice.
“We see our role at IMEX as facilitating business, understanding and education and in this capacity we believe it is important to enable the industry to fully explore the emerging trends associated with the sharing economy,” says Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group. “This important discussion is intended to be one in which everyone can have a voice and everyone’s opinion is valid.
“In the same way that nobody could predict the growth and impact of social media when it was born, nobody really knows the future for the sharing economy business model,” Bauer says. “However, our research will reveal valuable insights into what the industry thinks might happen including intriguing regional variations around the world. It also shows what proportion of the industry currently would, or would not, use sharing economy services for business. The results are fascinating.”
