In 2012 the IMEX exhibition takes place for the tenth time. To celebrate this anniversary the IMEX Group has commissioned the market research institute Fast Future Research with a new study on the future of the meetings and events industry.
Partnering the new study, which is titled The Power of 10, are four organisations that have been closely associated with IMEX from the outset: the GCB German Convention Bureau as the strategic partner of IMEX, Messe Frankfurt as the venue for the show and the ground handlers CPO Hanser and Tourismus+Congress GmbH Frankfurt am Main.
The Power of 10 study forms the central element in a series of celebrations commemorating IMEX’s tenth anniversary. Also planned, among other projects, are a Future Leaders Hall of Fame, an event taking as its theme Ten years of Environmental Education, a new programme for the IMEX Association Day and a special new location for the IMEX Politicians Forum to mark that event’s tenth anniversary also.
Ray Bloom, Chairman of the IMEX Group, stressed the importance of IMEX’s tenth anniversary: “The past decade has been momentous for the global meetings, incentive travel and events industry. We will be using 2012 to celebrate and remember all of the good things that have been achieved, taking the chance to look back at how far the industry has come in ten years. The Power of 10 research project will enable us to learn from the past ten years and help the industry to project forward for the future. As a founding sponsor of the Convention 2020 study, we have been delighted by the quality of the research conducted by the Fast Future team and could think of no better partner to work with on this flagship project.”
The new study will be capturing the views of individually selected thought and business leaders from the meetings sector, asking them about the next decade. It will also contain retrospectives of the past ten years and present the key events and developments that have made the greatest impact on the industry and its members. The Power of 10 research project will build on the ideas and insights from Convention 2020, of which the IMEX Group is a founding sponsor together with its partners, to provide a positive perspective on how the meetings industry can evolve and fulfil its strategic potential over the next decade.
Commenting on the new study, Fast Future Research CEO, Rohit Talwar, stated: “It’s great to be able to build on the increasingly influential and successful research we’ve conducted on Convention 2020. That study ends in December 2011, and this new research enables us to keep that momentum going. With 2012 being such a significant, celebratory year for IMEX, it seemed fitting to look back, as well as looking ahead, and to see what that comparison might reveal. Many of the respondents involved in the study will be big personalities with even bigger opinions, so we are expecting the insights and analysis to be as valuable and provocative as they are entertaining.”
In keeping with its title, the research will seek opinions from ten leaders in ten key sectors, asking them ten questions about the coming ten years. Also included in the research will be opinions from future leaders and students, to get their perspectives on the meetings industry’s future. A worldwide essay competition will additionally be integrated, with the ten best submissions being awarded a Power of 10 prize plus public recognition. The study will also contain retrospectives and predictions from IMEX Group staff who have been with the trade show since its inception. Fast Future Research is a global consultancy and think tank that has specialised in research on the future of the meetings, travel and leisure industry.
