IMEX Stresses Importance of Global Meetings Industry Day

April 5, 2017

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, says, “Global Meetings Industry Day is important for our industry. It not only draws attention to the highly valuable role of the meetings sector worldwide, it also brings the hearts and minds of the global industry together.” Bauer made this observation while reaffirming the group’s full support for Global Meetings Industry Day, which is April 6 (www.meetingsmeanbusiness.com/gmid). She added, “It is because we, as a group, are committed to the advancement of the industry that we support this annual initiative wholeheartedly.”

The IMEX Group says it has been making its own particular contribution to the advancement of the industry each year for the last 15 years. Alongside the IMEX in Frankfurt trade show where the global meetings industry comes together from across the world, is the annual IMEX Politicians Forum. Each year this gathering has brought more than 40 representatives of governments and government agencies together with around 80 industry leaders to provide a platform for dialogue and a focus for advocacy efforts. It highlights the valuable, wide-ranging contribution that the meetings and events industry makes to national and regional economies as well as sharing best practices.

At this year’s IMEX Opening Ceremony and IMEX Politicians Forum in Frankfurt on May 16, the keynote speaker will be Professor Greg Clark, CBE, a leading advisor, advocate and mentor on cities and businesses. He will address topics including: urbanization and globalizing cities; populism and anti-globalization; nations and cities; city success and the meetings industry. He also will focus on making the marriage between city government and meetings industry work by emphasizing the need for city governments to properly estimate the value of the meetings industry and, equally, for meetings industry leaders to organize effective advocacy for their sector.

Bauer said, “As a global cities expert, Greg has significant insight into the role of meetings and events in transforming the economic future of cities across the world. It will be fascinating to hear his views and the contributions of the politicians, government agencies and the industry in response. It will be a very interesting discussion.”

Greg Clark holds many high-level positions and honors including chairman of the Business of Cities and Chairman of the OECD LEED Forum on Local Development and Investment Strategies. He is a Global Fellow of the Metropolitan Program and Global Cities Initiative at The Brookings Institution, professor and co-chair of City Leadership Initiative’s Advisory Board at University College London, and a Senior Fellow at the European Urban Land Institute.

IMEX in Frankfurt takes place at Messe Frankfurt from May 16–18, 2017, with EduMonday, its new pre-show day of learning and insights on May 15.

The IMEX Group also runs IMEX America, America’s worldwide exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events, which will take place October 10–12, 2017 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center at The Venetian|The Palazzo, preceded by Smart Monday, powered by MPI on October 9.

www.imexexhibitions.comwww.meetingsmeanbusiness.com/gmid

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