The IMEX Group unveiled details of its education program for IMEX America 2022, set to zero in on modern-day challenges and hot topics as industry professionals navigate a new normal for events.

In creating the education program for this year’s show, which takes place Oct. 10-13 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, the goal was “radical simplicity,” according to Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group.

“We know meeting and event industry professionals are overrun, overwhelmed and seeking clarity, so this year’s learning sessions deliver bold content designed to cut to the heart of the biggest issues in business and personal growth,” Bauer said. “This is a chance for any and all participants to soak up some really on-point, high-quality knowledge, and the only price they have to pay is to show up, take it all in and then put what they’ve learned into practice.”

Bauer added that the group also listened to feedback from event professionals and brought some tailor-made education and events for specialist audiences to the show floor.

“This means corporate and association planners will learn side by side with their partners, clients and suppliers, benefiting, if they wish, from added convenience and efficiency,” she said.

Pathways to Clarity

Under the theme Pathways to Clarity, the education program is designed to provide tools that event professionals need to find simplicity—both professionally and personally—in a today’s complex world. To that end, sessions will be delivered in four simple tracks (reduced from 10): Respect for People and Planet; Future Self; Innovation and Creativity and Event Planner Toolkit.

More than 100 sessions will be available, with the majority taking place on the show floor’s three-theatre Inspiration Hub, sponsored by Visit Detroit. Highlights include:

• The Art of Badassery: Unleash Your Mojo With the Wisdom of the Dojo with empowerment coach and self-defense expert Jennifer Cassetta, who will take a martial arts-led approach to helping attendees feel safe and strong in the workplace.

• Our Red Flag Employee with David Jaime, chief executive at LE Professionals, who will cover behavioral red flags that create unhealthy work environments and share best practices for increasing collective accountability. 

• Fickle Eaters with Tracy Stuckrath, founder and president at thrive meetings & events, and Thomas Whelan, assistant general manager at Levy Convention Centers, who will highlight fundamentals of food and beverage planning in a time marked by compromised supply chains and share tried-and-tested tricks for incorporating dietary needs into menus without affecting the bottom line.

• Enter the Metaverse: A How-to Guide, with Scooter Taylor, founder of West Peek Group, who will lay out all the steps to planning a metaverse event, share resources and give attendees a first-hand glimpse into the metaverse. 

• Hybrid Is Still a Thing, So Let’s Get It Right with Brandt Krueger, owner of Event Technology Consulting, who will showcase how hybrid events, when done property, can deliver expanded reach and improve inclusivity—all without losing the power of a hands-on experience.

• Sustainability and the Circular Economy: What the Future Holds with Aurora Dawn Benton, chief change agent at Astrapto, and Benoit Sauvage, CEO of Hospitality Sustainability Revolution, who will explain why the circular economy—a regenerative system designed to minimize resource input, waste and emissions—is key to a full events industry recovery and detail best practices for events that deliver benefits such as enhanced brand, increased clientele, reduced costs and exceptional experiences.

On-Trend Keynotes

IMEX America’s strategic partner, Meetings Professionals International (MPI), sponsors a series of keynotes at the show every year that spotlight some of the industry’s most trending topics, starting with Smart Monday, powered by MPI, and running every morning thereafter. This year, human-centered service, imposter syndrome, engaging communities and the power of play are among the topics that will be highlighted during the keynote sessions, including:

• Composing Change: Events That Move People with Kai Kight, a classical violinist- turned innovative composer, who uses music as a metaphor to inspire individuals and organizations across the world to compose human-centered paths of imagination and fulfilment and has performed his original music in venues across the world, from the White House to the Great Wall of China.

• The Science of Self-Sabotage: Making Imposter Syndrome Your Superpower with comedian and coach Jen Coken, who will share strategies to embrace imposter syndrome and use it to achieve extraordinary things with confidence and certainty.

• Leadership Passport: Build Better Relationships and Create Engaged Communities with Shane Feldman, founder and CEO of Count Me In, who will spotlight ways to cultivate a work environment centered on community to help individuals and teams perform at their highest levels.

• On the Playground: Your IMEX America Unkeynote Experience with Nancy Snowden, manager of educational experiences at MPI, who will introduce a practical, solution-focused experience that will allow attendees to harness the power of play to provide new perspectives and creative answers to serious event and meeting challenges.

Tailor-Made Events

This year’s show will also feature events specifically designed for corporate and association planners to meet, connect and learn, beginning on Smart Monday. Additional sessions, including industry certifications and top-ups, will be delivered by dozens of IMEX partners, including MPI, International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and Events Industry Council (EIC). Meanwhile, She Means Business, produced by IMEX and tw magazine and supported by MPI, will also return this year and is open to everyone.

All eligible sessions throughout the show carry CMP accreditation.

The show’s newly streamlined education program is part of a new era for IMEX, during which event industry visionary Tahira Endean, IMEX’s newly appointed head of programme, is leading a three-year strategy to remodel the professional education offerings at its two annual events: IMEX America and IMEX Frankfurt.

IMEX America 2022 will open with Smart Monday, powered by MPI on Oct. 10, followed by the three-day trade show Oct. 11-13. 

To register for IMEX America 2022, click here.

Main photo: Scooter Taylor, founder of West Peek Group

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