IMEX Frankfurt: Paint-by-Number, Ice Cream Socials and Relationship Building!

Off they set to see the world, our intrepid team, putting the global in NHS Global Events. They headed to Germany for this year’s IMEX Frankfurt and a few other ports of call in Europe.

“This is one of the most ethnically diverse travel tradeshows in the world with more than 150 countries represented,” reported NHS Global Events President Sean Lynch. “Only four percent of the buyers there are from the U.S.” Among the more than 12,000 attendees, folks came from Vietnam, Senegal, Zambia and all parts of the world.

“It’s also one of the most sustainably managed conferences in the travel sector, with 99.5 percent of the event waste diverted from the landfill,” Sean noted. 

“This year I really wanted to learn about destinations that I didn’t know about and others that clients are interested in,” NHS Global Events Account Executive Natalie Rivera said.

Prior to the event, Natalie was able to visit Paris, hosted by Hyatt properties. “The city is really gearing up for this Summer’s Olympics and the hoteliers showed off what they’re excited about. For me, it was a great opportunity to visit hotels that I’ve sourced in the past but not visited.”

NHS Global Events Account Manager, Sourcing Grace McCann was on a mission to learn everything new and upcoming in terms of European destinations and properties. “It was great to meet property representatives that I only had met over email prior to IMEX. Putting faces to names is a great way to strengthen our relationship with suppliers.”

Peter Schmidt, NHS Global Events Director of Global Accounts, pointed out that IMEX Frankfurt is now back on par with pre-pandemic numbers. “One thing that was noteworthy was a large technology showcase by Encore, who took their booth off the show floor for only the second time and added a theatre hosting learning sessions and workshops. And while pre-scheduled appointments are a requirement to attend via the hosted buyer program, I most enjoy the unscheduled time to roam the floor and pop into suppliers showcases that piqued my interest.”

Peter also thought a big bonus to this year’s event was the daily afternoon ice cream socials in the hosted buyer lounge. For Natalie, she was intrigued by the paint-by-number wall that helped attendees destress between appointments.

But they all agreed on the true importance of attending such an event. Sean said, “This proves once again that relationships matter. The real way to create meaningful relations is through face-to-face interaction and discussion.”

“The relationship building will help us better serve our clients,” Natalie added.