Who Visits?
IMEX is unique in attracting thousands
of meetings and incentive travel executives from around the world, together
with over 4,000 buyers from the valuable German outbound market. Buyers at IMEX are Either:AgencyIncluding incentive, business and conference travel agencies, full service incentive houses, conference organisers, sales and promotion agencies, marketing, PR and advertising agencies. AssociationFrom international or European institutes, federations or associations who organise congresses, conventions and meetings internationally. CorporateExecutives within companies involved with meetings, conferences and incentive travel programmes. Buyers have responsibility for, or direct influence over, decisions regarding destinations / venues. |
“People are not just here window shopping, they are here to do business.” Ana Maria Viscasillas President & CEO, Puerto Rico Convention Bureau |
Buyers Either Attend IMEX as Hosted Buyers or as Visitors:
Hosted Buyers
3,887 hosted buyers from around the world attended IMEX 2011 as guests of the show organisers. The hosted buyer programme includes economy flights or first class train travel from selected destinations, overnight accommodation, transfers between the airport, hotel and exhibition and a host of other benefits.
To qualify for the hosted buyer programme buyers must be agency, association or corporate buyers and be responsible for planning, organising, recommending or making financial decisions for any of these events outside their home country:
corporate meetings and hospitality, incentive travel programmes, association meetings, conferences, seminars, exhibitions, roadshows, product launches, promotional events, training programmes
The programme ensures that key buyers in the global meetings and incentive travel industry attend the show as invited guests, maximising the sales potential for exhibitors.
Research amongst hosted buyers confirms that over 45% hold annual budgets of US$500,000 or over, with 30% responsible for more than US$1 million spend per year. 10% of these buyers attend from long-haul markets outside Western Europe, including the USA, Australia, South America, Asia, Middle East and South Africa.
More about the hosted buyer programme, whether you qualify and how to apply.
Visitors
IMEX 2011 attracted 5,057 visitors, excluding hosted buyers, from 90 countries, including thousands of German decision makers from the world's third largest outbound meetings and incentive travel market, representing US$50 bn per year. Independent research* confirms the potential for further growth:
• In 2010 40% of meeting planners from Germany, Austria and Switzerland assume they will carry out more events than in 2009 (2009: 13%).
• Demand for European destinations is rising significantly (30 % are planning more events in 2010 than in 2009).
• 12% of meeting planners in Germany, Austria and Switzerland expect more business from long haul destinations and 43% expect the same amount of business in 2010.
• The average annual outbound budget of German speaking meeting planners was Euro 640,000 in 2009.
*Source: tmf - travel marketing factory GmbH/ mmm - MICE market monitor 2010
