With Mastercard's Travel Industry Trends Report showing that spending on experiences increased by 65 per cent from 2019 to 2023 in the US, it’s a further indication that people may be moving from material goods to in-person moments, dedicating more of their leisure time to live, interactive experiences. The world of business events appears to be following suit with attendees keen to be active participants at events and planners rising to the challenge with new activities designed to engage.
IMEX America, which takes place next week, October 8 – 10, has a wealth of experiential activations spanning health and well-being, the quick-fire and the quirky. These are all designed for attendees to pick and choose which best fit their needs, allowing them to take a tailored approach to the show as well as providing inspiration for their own events.
Oli Bailey, show experience designer at IMEX, explains: “At this year’s show the focus is very much on making experiences interactive so that the attendee becomes part of the story - and that’s really powerful in terms of delivering a positive impact.
“In the run-up we’ve been working closely with our partners, sponsors and exhibitors to experiment with something a little different, adding in elements of surprise and joy alongside the business meetings which sit at the heart of the show. Two of our company values are ‘lead the way’ and ‘achieve together’ which means we’re always happy to give it a go and then gain feedback and refine.
“Our intention is for participants to be able to ‘slice and dice’ the show’s content to suit requirements and experience many micro moments at what’s essentially a macro event. The range of experiential activations on offer is sure to inspire planners and spark ideas for their own events.”
Here are some highlights:
A spot of sport
- Pickleball by Seattle – a fun and friendly sport, join in on the pickleball court - open to all.
- IMEXrun – start the day with a spot of ‘sweat-working’ in this fun 5km run. Sponsored by The Netherlands Board of Tourism & Convention (NBTC) and Amsterdam Convention Bureau and powered by PRA
- Major League Baseball Activation – step into a virtual ballpark at this VR Based baseball challenge
Photo ops
- Toronto Mirror Box – walk into a glitzy mirror box for a next level photo op and immersive experience
- Two Dudes Photography – strike a pose! These pro photographers will be capturing all the action across the show floor
- Welcome to the Fabulous IMEX Sign – the iconic Vegas sign with an IMEX twist, a photo op must-do
Rest and recharge
- The Neu Project Resilience Room powered by Google Xi and Hello! DMC - a calming and restorative retreat for all attendees. It’s designed to soothe the senses and provide physical and mental space to decompress
- Quiet Lounge, sponsored by Lux Lounge – a space off the show floor for anyone to use. This includes two Zen Pods for private conversations
- Zen Work Lounge - a dedicated workspace open to all, featuring soundproof booths from Zen Space
Something a little different
- Paintillio – your chance to join others at a collaborative paint by numbers wall. Pick up a paint brush and get stuck in, without splashes!
- Ryan the Poet – keep a lookout for our wordsmith who’ll create bespoke poetry written in the moment, just for you. Great content for your Insta feed!
- Shared Studios – strike up conversations with diverse groups of people from all over the world virtually via an interactive link. These curated conversations will be based on the IMEX Talking Point, Impact.
Want to find out more? There’s an education track devoted to Experience Design – more details here - which is part of the show’s 150+ session education program.
IMEX America 2024 takes place at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, and opens with Smart Monday, powered by MPI on Monday October 7, followed by the three-day trade show October 8 - 10.