PlanetIMEX makes waves

Around 6,000 planners & suppliers brought together for community & connection

“When we planned the PlanetIMEX, October edition our aim was for it to be an evolution of the first online experience launched in May. We incorporated our learnings, raising the bar on the user experience, the education programme and also the variety and creativity of the social and community-building experiences on offer. What remained the same, however, was that this second edition of PlanetIMEX was created as a gift to the industry, with content geared towards supporting the sector in this tough time,” Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group explains the strategy behind PlanetIMEX, the October edition.

The virtual experience had a very different look and feel to the first iteration in May. The website – www.planetimex.com – took viewers on a journey through a playful, interactive underwater world brimming with sea life, treasure chests, a giant iridescent clam shell along with live content from 12 – 16 October.

This content attracted almost 6,000 registrants over the five days with a fairly even split of planners (35%) and suppliers (46%). Attendees logged on from around the world – particularly North America (55% of attendees), and Europe (30% of attendees) – all with a keen focus to meet and do business via the match making platform.

The week-long free programme of learning, community-building, socialising and networking began with Monday Funday – a full day of feel-good creative virtual experiences. This new feature of PlanetIMEX was designed in partnership with several of IMEX’s partners and exhibitors and was inspired by feedback from the IMEX community.

The sessions offering ‘behind the scenes’ glimpses into IMEX America’s host city Las Vegas – such as a tour of the new Allegiant Stadium and helicopter ride over the famous Strip - proved particularly popular with viewers. A fitting tribute to what would have been the 10th edition of IMEX America in the city.

Education was also high on the list of priorities for PlanetIMEX attendees. A survey sent to 4,000 planners and suppliers found that the general learning sessions proved popular with 58% of respondents considering education to be their favourite element. Sessions highlighted by respondents included: explorer and photographer Daniel Fox’s exploration of Nature, IMEX’s Talking Point for this year; values-driven strategy by human behaviour expert David Allison and tips on personal branding and community engagement by recruiter Robert Kenward. Education highlights from PlanetIMEX can be found here.

The opportunity to make business connections was also highly valued with over 90% of people who arranged networking meetings using GRIP’s AI powered matchmaking platform saying it enabled them to meet with potential clients and new business partners.  

The business event community appreciated being able to come together to connect and learn as Joshua Novick, Vice President, North America, Business Tourism at London & Partners, explains: “The ability to learn, network and engage with our industry simultaneously was just what we needed…second to being at IMEX America in real life! Kudos to the entire IMEX team for their incredible efforts to create a platform that became a community and enabled us to connect meaningfully with our clients, our partners and our MICE community.”

Carina Bauer sums up: “Creating PlanetIMEX October edition was truly a partnership effort with content from our industry friends and partners plus a huge dose of hard work from our own team. We’re delighted that the combination of playful underworld world, learning and networking proved a popular one with 95% survey respondents saying that PlanetIMEX met or exceeded their expectations.”