IMEX America, like IMEX in Frankfurt, creates an important focal point for events PR.

Attracting 6,000 plus attendees including more than 3,300 hosted buyers and around 200 journalists from around the world, it is the ideal place to launch new products, services, and new initiatives on to the market. In particular, it was a great PR opportunity, the chance to arrange face-to-face meetings between senior executives and editors.

Many of the events PR team representing the 3,500 plus exhibitors seized the opportunities with a wide variety of news stories and communications techniques. After a week at the show running the Press Centre – or Center as it is in the USA, Clareville events PR team gathered their observations on the PR and marketing trends they noticed at the show.

Events PR

1. A major increase in social media activity

Although the use of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linked in has been growing exponentially for several years, there was a noticeable increase this year in activities by both the IMEX team, by exhibitors and by attendees.

2. More major news, more press conferences

There were more major news announcements than ever and correspondingly, more PR events and press conferences. The press conference room in the new Press Center near the show hall was fully booked on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The most significant news that came from a press conference was that business events globally generate $1.03 trillion dollars in direct spending. This data is an enormous asset to events PR in establishing the economic importance of the industry.

3. More journalists attending press conferences

Journalist attendances at press conferences were up, thanks to the hard work of many events PR teams in contacting and reminding the press to put them in their schedules, the quality of the news and the proximity of the press conference room to the show floor.

4. CSR, sustainability and legacy – increasingly prominent

Like the IMEX team, many exhibitors and their events PR teams had taken to heart the growing concern about single use plastics and legacy by reflecting their heritage in their marketing and by the choice of PR giveaways – stainless steel drinking straws, often with cleaning brushes.