The 2025 edition of IMEX Frankfurt, 20–22 May, welcomed more than 13,000 global attendees, including 4,000 meetings and events buyers.
The three-day show meant more footwork for attendees as it was the largest ever in terms of exhibitor floor space, generating over 67,000 pre-scheduled meetings across three days at the Messe.
The 21st edition of the show reflected robust business pipelines and offered plenty of opportunity for networking.
The Inspiration Hub was home to the show’s education programming, with key themes – the importance of trust, transparency, experiential design combined with emotional journey planning, psychological safety and leadership.
The rising importance of place leadership for destinations was under the spotlight at the Policy Forum, where destination representatives and policymakers from 30-plus countries gathered to discuss the future direction of business events, policy making and strategic destination management.
Global urbanist Professor Greg Clark said: “This is a moment of great geopolitical change. Our system of global economic organisation is being reset – and that means more opportunity for more places.”
Professor Clark framed the challenge starkly: Most governments are still structured around sectors – housing, health, education – while place, as a unifying concept, is often left out of policy-making altogether. “The risk,” he said, “is that places become the orphans of policy.”
The traditional IMEX Frankfurt Gala Dinner Awards were held at the Alte Oper during a ceremony that honoured some of the great and the good, as well as upcoming industry stars making a positive impact on the industry and wider world.
Mash Media was in the thick of things, hopefully practising what we preach – the power of face-to-face!
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