It’s now over a week since our new Sales Manager, Kelly Smith and I attended the IMEX show in Frankfurt, and what a week it was!
IMEX Frankfurt is an international Exhibition attended by more than 3,500 suppliers from every sector of the meeting and events industry. It takes place in Messe Frankfurt, the show connects European markets as well as global destinations. A global connection is clearly seen when walking the exhibition floor, as the exhibitors represented destinations from all over the world from Luxembourg to Azerbaijan.
As a venue, we’ve already exhibited at IMEX Frankfurt, but it was Kelly’s and my first time and so we had varied expectations. The excursion didn’t start off well when, to our dismay we arrived at London City airport to discover many flights to our destination had been cancelled. Thankfully our flight was one of only two flights that eventually braved the stormy skies over Frankfurt and got us to our destination!
Once settled, we were located on the London Convention Bureau stand. Thanks to our membership with London & Partners we were provided with the space to meet buyers from all over the world and given the opportunity to present our unique venue to agencies, DMC’s and direct buyers.
We had many one to one appointments booked throughout the 3-day show which gave us the chance to catch up with our existing clients and also to create new relationships. These intimate conversations allowed us to show off the impressive events we’ve hosted through the years and also the progressive projects that we continue to work on, for example the launch of our Carbon calculator.
Whilst exhibiting alongside other London venues and suppliers, there was a real sense of camaraderie in winning business events and promoting London as a significant destination. We also received a positive reaction to the venue as being a well-established and iconic venue with a great reputation.
When we had the chance to breathe and look around, I noticed some innovative activities available to entertain and relax. From the meditation bubble to the giant musical keyboard performances (like the one in BIG!).
Now that we’re back I’ve received several enquiries regarding new business events as well as many people asking to schedule a visit.
All in all I’d have to say it’s been a brilliant success!
By Rhiannon Thomas, Business Development Manager
