IMEX - Social Good and Results

IMEX is the ultimate place through the year to facilitate connections and collaborations. Anyone who has been to an event of more than 50 people however knows how hard it is to find people, and that any serendipitous moments in time should be treasured.  

There are many things that happen at IMEX though which happen to facilitate connections, and here are a few - if you have more, please share!

Photo from Trevor Lui

1. The hosted buyer program with web based and in-app requests and changes available. This may be obvious, but the power to choose who you want to meet and potentially do business with is very powerful.
2. Fun on the show floor is never ending from coffee in Columbia to champagne in France, sushi in Japan, beer at the Euro-party, and oh so much more to be found as hospitality is truly celebrated. 



Found on the IMEX Facebook page - as you can see it is going to be an awesome experience

3. The fantastic project to support Shade Tree was again both a great success and a fabulous opportunity for those who participated and those who benefitted.  For anyone who has participated in a well designed and meaningful CSR project, you know the value runs deep, and the shared feelings last forever.
4. The relevant education program offers something for nearly everyone in attendance.  This is well thought out and it begins with MPI Smart Monday, includes CIC Seminar and campfire sessions, FRESH thinking in the Meeting Design Institute booth space, the Future Leaders Forum, association and corporate focused learning, and other sessions offered throughout the show floor and it is a great way to find like-minded people in either short or deep-dive sessions. It is hard sometimes, particularly for introverts, to reach out and meet people, but I can assure you from experience taking a deep breath and introducing yourself to someone beside you comes with its own rewards.
5. Evening events. Again, while this sometimes these events can be a bit overwhelming. Tips from Padraic earlier this year really cover what you need to know.  This year I missed SITENite (always excellent and sold out in 48 hours!) but had the opportunity to attend the FRESH dinner the Keep Memory Alive Center, a superb venue which gives all their proceeds to the brain research institute attached, with a level of space and food service which will keep every planner who hosts an event there happy. Yes, it is really this cool. Then you add in the great people, the philosophies that drive their menu planning, the drive to move guests after each course (first the men, then the ladies, new flatware appearing for each course) and the scrumptious food and this was all in all a worthwhile evening.

   

   Inside the Keep Memory Alive Center with FRESH

6. Evening events continued at the blowout that is Rendezvous. What can we say as they moved venues this year to the Drai night club in the new Cromwell Hotel.  The atmosphere was spectacular, the people I saw were ready to connect and this year we could actually hear each other, always a pleasant surprise, and overall a really fun evening full of great networking, all in support of a worthy cause and raising (drum roll) over $190,000.00! 
7. Hosted buyer events. These are endless, and range from amazing to overwhelming and this year, from the stories heard, was no exception. Dinners and cirque shows, and at the Four Seasons a helicopter rained rose petals into the pool, one of the many events that are buzz-worthy!

I would love to also hear about your experiences and the highlights.