From protecting attention to embracing different cultures and generations, intentional event design ran through the education and conversations at Smart Monday, powered by MPI, today.
The dedicated day of learning, held ahead of IMEX America, October 13–15, brought the global business events community together to explore how thoughtful design can help planners respond to changing audience needs and create more inclusive experiences.
Designing for attention
In her MPI keynote, Empowered Connection in a Digitally Layered Landscape, Caitlin Krause, founder of MindWise, explored how experience designers can help people protect their attention and build more human connections amid information overload and AI.
“Studies show the most valuable resource is our attention. Every experience is built on 'attention architecture', so the way we design meetings matters. When we set an intention, we give our attention somewhere meaningful to go.”
Her message focused on designing with purpose rather than simply using technology for speed: “AI can make things faster; intention makes them meaningful.”
Making every creative choice count
Purpose was also central to Magic in the details: How Disney designs meetings that matter. Robby Briley, Senior Event Consultant at Disney Meetings & Events, gave an example of how limitations can strengthen an experience when approached creatively. “When working on a recent client event, we used all of the challenges to strengthen the experience. All the roadblocks, all the constraints, actually made that event what it was,” he said. “Intentional design created so many different points of view that every single attendee could enjoy something in this experience.”
Designing for different audiences
Another education session, A global perspective on inclusion, explored how culture, age, and even food can shape whether people feel part of an event. Maëva Haguma, Deputy CEO of Rwanda Convention Bureau, highlighted the importance of designing programs around the realities of local audiences. “Women own or manage a significant and growing share of businesses in Rwanda, so event planners should reflect this in speaker line-ups. Also, 70% of our population is under 30 years old.”
For Carrie Kwik, Executive Director, Conventions, Meetings and Incentive Travel at Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau, inclusion can be built into the more informal elements: “In Asia, food is a central part of our culture. It becomes a way to engage and do business—so planners could consider extending lunch breaks to 90 minutes,” she explained.
Carrie also shared an example of how event organizers can embed new voices into a conference: “To involve small-scale farmers in the Cocoa Association Asia conference, we created an International Farmers Network Forum. Insights from those discussions helped shape the main program, bringing their perspectives to the fore and helping them feel more included in the overall experience.”
For hosted buyer Claudinne Cerveira from the Gases and Welding Distributors Association, designing for younger audiences is becoming an increasingly important consideration: “Gen Z are a growing membership base, so we want to bridge the gap between our current demographic and the emerging younger generation."
Ruth Kissling-Gretener, a buyer from Switzerland, explained: “I’ve come to the show to find out what Gen Z want from their events. I want to find ways to attract them to our events and keep them engaged.”
This year’s Smart Monday program offered a choice of 69 sessions and numerous partner activations while private IMEX events for specialist buyer groups comprised Association Focus, Executive Meeting Forum and Corporate Focus.
IMEX America begins tomorrow, October 13–15, at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.
Notes to editors:
- IMEX America is taking place at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, October 13–15, 2026.
- Latest news and photography: https://america.imexevents.com/press-and-media
- Show photos gallery for 2026
