Interview
Ready to reconnect at IMEX Frankfurt
CARINA BAUER, CEO OF THE IMEX GROUP, TALKS TO CMW’ S IAIN STIRLING ABOUT THE IMPACT OF EVENTS ON SOCIAL RECONNECTION
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MEX CEO Carina Bauer says the group’ s new research The Power of Experiences examines the higher-order effects events have on society as a whole and shows that social disconnection has significantly increased since Covid, driven by multiple factors including remote work and lingering hesitation about public gatherings.
“ We recognise that events offer a natural solution by helping people forge genuine connections and develop relationships,” says Bauer and believes it’ s crucial for event designers and industry professionals to understand that their work extends beyond business outcomes.“ We must intentionally design our events to create opportunities for relationships and connections to flourish.”
“ It’ s essential to consider event design to ensure inclusivity in the broadest sense – beyond just gender or race – focusing on how different personalities engage, how people choose their event experience, and how various types of people form connections,” she adds, pointing out that extroverts naturally network when placed together, but many others require alternative connection methods.
“ For example, we used story craft and experience profiles at IMEX America where attendees could take a little online test. It was fun and not only provided suggested experiences through the event to reduce overwhelm but also facilitated online connections before the event as people discovered others with similar profiles.”
But why should event planners be concerned about social disconnection among their attendees?
Bauer says, firstly, there is altruistic motivation, noting well-designed events have the power to foster meaningful social connections that can truly transform people’ s lives.
“ Second, from a business perspective, prioritising social connections directly improves key performance indicators,” she continues.“ When attendees form genuine connections with others, the event becomes more valuable to them.“ These connections significantly increase the likelihood of attendees returning to future events.”
The IMEX report also discusses the concept of return on relationships as a key trend for 2025. How does Bauer
Above: Carina Bauer
“ Extroverts naturally network when placed together, but many others require alternative connection methods.” think event organisers can measure and demonstrate this value?
“ CRM systems now log all interactions. Organisations can monitor touchpoints and interaction frequency. Consolidated data provides visibility into exhibitor-buyer interactions over multiple years,” she says.
“ Both quantitative and qualitative approaches are valuable. Leveraging data and technology provides measurable insights, while developing case studies demonstrates business development over time.
“ The challenge lies in systematically collecting and sharing these success stories,” she adds.
Bauer says IMEX values both planned meetings and serendipitous encounters as ways of connecting, explaining that they now integrate AI into an automatical system for matching buyers and sellers whereby buyers select exhibitors they want to meet, and both parties receive recommendations.“ By incorporating AI into our recommendations,” she says,“ we facilitated 10,000 new meetings based on user behaviour analysis.” And Bauer is keen to stress inclusivity isn’ t just about gender or race:“ It encompasses accommodations for wheelchair users, people with hearing difficulties, those with food allergies, and many others. We’ re examining everything from website colour palettes for the visually impaired, to providing automatic translation through headphones for education sessions, to publishing food menus in advance for those with dietary restrictions.”
“ A lot of these ideas don’ t require major budgets or time, just a bit of planning and someone to take ownership,” Bauer concludes. n
n IMEX Frankfurt takes place 20-22 May at Messe Frankfurt, Germany and you can read the full version of this interview on www. c-mw. net
ISSUE 136 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 19