Another year another fantastic IMEX Frankfurt

Well it’s that time of year again when the great and the good of the events industry descend on Frankfurt to visit IMEX. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been involved in IMEX for a long time and so I know the organising team very well and enjoy an excellent relationship with everyone there – you couldn’t wish to meet a nicer bunch of people and they are all passionate about the show!

This is the 10th anniversary of IMEX Frankfurt and as you’d expect, there have been a number of changes over the years. A couple of the most noticeable changes have been a change of halls (originally Hall 3 and now Hall 8 when the show grew). Also a change of dates as the show was originally in April but having to change hall to expand also meant the show moved into May.

Probably more startling and a lot harder to spot are the tiny incremental changes that happen every year. The IMEX team work relentlessly on their whole offering all year round and a huge amount of work goes into the website making sure that as much as realistically possible, the site moves forwards and incorporates new technologies and ideas.

It is difficult building a website that people from very diverse cultures all around the World can all get on with relatively easily. There are notable differences in terminology and thought patterns between the Frankfurt and America websites for example. It’s also important to remember that most people only use the show websites for a few weeks a year meaning they have probably forgotten most of what they’d learned last year about how to use it!

Over the past 10 years there have also been some big changes in the World that have had an effect on the events industry too. When IMEX launched in April 2003, who would have thought that 4 years later in 2007, Steve Jobs would unveil paradigm shift in mobile phones?

We’re not talking so much about the actual technology in the phone. It wasn’t massively advanced compared to some other devices at the time “what! No 3G?” was a cry that was heard from techies everywhere when the original iPhone launched.

What it did do was start a whole new world that we today know as “Apps”. Of course, computers have always had “applications” which are the programs that run on the computer, but with phones they became known as “Apps”, came from a single “App Store” and have become far more widespread than anything before.

I honestly don’t think that even Steve Jobs himself could have predicted how that would change the World. Now there are apps for almost anything you can think of, from hundreds of categories, with some lucky developers capturing the public’s imagination and earning a large fortune from them.

Then came the iPad – another device that has made a big impact in the meetings industry. I was walking around the show floor during build-up and there were plenty of stand contractors with iPads for email, stand plans, notes, to do lists and many other things – some were probably even flinging birds at pigs in between building stands. After the show opened there were even more of these devices around as people network and stay connected.

The iPhone and iPad weren’t new ideas though – they brought together a number of existing ideas into a single, very elegantly executed package.

When you think about it, there aren’t actually too many genuinely new ideas. Most things are just a refinement of something else, or a merging of other ideas. A significant fact here for me, is that although there are lots of ideas – the good and well thought through ones are few and far between.

One idea that has bothered me for a long time is that of a virtual reality exhibition. Years ago, there were a lot of companies trying to sell such a thing – there may still be. Their idea was that you could have a computer based 3d modelled environment that you could “virtually” walk around. It would look like the exhibition it represented with the stand layouts/etc.

The big problem with those ideas was that they failed to understand a lot of what an exhibition is about. It’s true that at any exhibition, there is an element of walking around looking for interesting products and services but, there is often a much more important element – networking.

It is invaluable to meet up with people you haven’t seen for a while (perhaps since the last show) and getting the chance to grab 10 minutes and update each other on what you’re both doing. Sending a cold email to someone – even if you know them, doesn’t have the same impact as bumping into them and chatting about new opportunities. Let’s be honest, there are plenty of acquaintances that you may see at an exhibition and talk to but wouldn’t necessarily feel comfortable emailing out of the blue.

Similarly for many years now, there has been talk of video conferencing eliminating travelling for face to face meetings. Will it ever really happen? I don’t think so. The power of sitting in a room with someone and chatting while being able to observe all of the nuances of expression and body language often outweighs the travelling time for me.

There’s something impersonal about being on a video screen looking at the person you’re meeting and it will never be the same as being there. I know that video conferencing does add something and there are circumstances where it’s better than a phone call. Now that there are free tools (like Skype and Microsoft Instant Messenger) and most new laptops have a webcam built in, it’s never been easier.

That said, it is just another tool that can be used to enhance communication. It should never replace actual meetings in my opinion. The opportunity to chit-chat about life in general between meetings strengthens bonds and builds friendships. I don’t think it works the same way when you’re digitally separated.

In a world where we have an ever increasing number of ways to communicate through an almost infinite number of channels – sometimes it’s nice to get back to basics and wander around an exhibition hall, recognise people you know and say hi!