Big come back
Photo: IMEX America 
Speaking in the show's closing press conference at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, IMEX chairman, Ray Bloom, announced an overall participation of 12,000 people, of whom over 4,000 were buyers. Nearly 3,300 of these attended on the show's hallmark hosted buyer programme. Bloom explained that the IMEX America 2022 edition (October 11 to 13, 2022) was 45% bigger than last year due to an easing of travel restrictions plus 40% of returning exhibitors taking more booth space.
Bloom continued, "The size of this year's show is obviously a function of many in the industry being able to travel and plan meetings again and to do so with certainty. IMEX felt like the big come-back we've all been waiting for - that's not to deny that challenges remain." Some of the big themes percolating: service levels, contracts, wellbeing and mental health; the pros and cons of distributed workforces; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI+B) and sustainability, both personal and environmental.
„We're all invited to understand that events, and event designs, have excluded too many people for too long“
She added: "Two concepts I take from this week are belonging and freedom of choice. The first is about making sure everyone feels welcomed. The second is a call for planners to let go. We need to put people first, give them more choice and pay more attention to what makes us all human."
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