This year's edition of IMEX America took place from October 17th to 19th, 2023, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, where the Poland Convention Bureau was present for the ninth time.

MPI Best of Europe

The event was preceded by a day dedicated to knowledge transfer and networking as part of the Smart Monday, organized by the strategic partner of IMEX, Meeting Professionals International (MPI). The program of this year's event, called Best of Europe (held on October 16th), was designed to attract and connect the best and most qualified international buyers from the USA with key partners in Europe, such as convention bureaus, venues, and event organizers.

The event began with interactive educational sessions, followed by individual tabletop meetings (in a "speed dating" format) with meeting planners from the USA, and of course, networking. The conversations bore fruit, and hosted buyers were impressed by the quality of Polish hotels and venues, as well as the level of technological solutions. The topic of safety was also discussed in the context of the war in Ukraine, which we tried to turn into our strength and demonstrate Polish hospitality.

Representing Poland were:

• Marcin Różycki, Vice President of the Polish Tourism Organisation
• Magda Mazgaj, Senior Specialist at PCB
• Barbara Świderska, President of MPI Poland Chapter

Participating in the Best of Europe was an incredible opportunity to promote Poland outside of Europe and reach planners from North America, especially as Poland is becoming a hub for advanced industrial production, partnering in sectors such as aviation, energy, and artificial intelligence. Access to experts in these fields is crucial, making it worthwhile to participate in events of this kind to strengthen cooperation between our countries.

As part of the PCB program, the following benefits were also guaranteed:

• A special article in MPI media was distributed at IMEX America (magazine and e-newsletters reaching 100,000 meeting professionals).
• Significance of Poland Convention Bureau of the Polish Tourism Organisation in all materials related to the event (invitations, website, social media, press releases).
• 2 MPI memberships for 12 months.

IMEX America 2023 edition

The next three days of the IMEX America trade show were dedicated to the promotion of Poland at the booth, where the following co-exhibitors joined the Poland Convention Bureau:

• Warsaw Convention Bureau
• Kraków Convention Bureau
• Gdańsk Convention Bureau
• Centrum Kongresowe ICE Kraków
• Hotel Bristol
• Mazurkas DMC

Polish partners showcased their business offerings and destinations. Visit the dedicated profile of the Poland Convention Bureau at IMEX America 2023.

To entice visitors to the Polish booth, Musical Mornings were organized, featuring two mini concerts of jazz music performed by session and concert drummer Mariusz Mocarski, who has collaborated with numerous artists representing various musical styles.

These concerts aimed to draw attention to Poland and invite attendees to visit our booth, serving as a dynamic addition to the campaign conducted by the Polish Tourism Organisation in the trade show space. This form of advertising is innovative and has proven successful in previous editions of the trade show. It perfectly fits within the framework of sensory marketing, which the Poland Convention Bureau is currently emphasizing. An additional attraction was the promotional wall specially prepared to act as an extra advertising medium, inviting all those entering the trade show through the main entrance to visit the Polish booth throughout the event.

#IMEX23 #IMEXAmerica #PolandCVB #MoreThanYouExpectedPL

Author and photos: Magda Mazgaj