The various meetings industry events are quite different from each other, so how do you choose?
Here are a few highlights of 5 key meetings industry events in 2018:
IMEX America
Billed as America’s Worldwide Exhibition for incentive travel, meetings and events, IMEX is the mainstay on the meetings industry calendar, taking place October 16 to 18 at the Sand Expo Center in Las Vegas. With 3,200-plus exhibitors from 130 countries, it’s the place to learn about everything from new venues in major cities across the world to the latest event tech providers. There’s also a full educational program, including Smart Monday (October 15), which is put on by Meeting Professionals International.
Meeting Professionals International’s WEC
The World Education Congress (WEC), being held June 2 to 5 in Indianapolis, provides educational sessions for Meeting Professionals International’s meeting planner members, as well as a host of networking opportunities, from the opening reception at White River State Park to a President’s Dinner honoring industry leader Roger Dow on June 4. This year’s WEC offers three kinds of sessions: 30-minute quick sessions, 60-minute traditional singe-topic sessions and 90-minute deep dives on the subjects that are most important to you.
ASAE Annual Meeting
Held this year August 18 to 21 in Chicago, ASAE’s Annual Meeting brings its meeting planners members together for three days of networking and education specific to the association sector. Over 400 companies will participate in the accompanying Associations Solutions Marketplace.
WINiT Summit
When WINiT was formed in January 2014, founder Michelle (Mick) Lee’s vision for the organization was to help women appreciate the power they already have, find their voice and reach their full potential by providing access to the necessary tools, resources and networks. In July 2014, the first WINiT Summit took place in Los Angeles, attracting over 400 women, and this year’s event will be held in New York City April 28 to 29, featuring inspiring speakers and plenty of networking.
Duty of Care Summit
The first-ever event for meeting planners dedicated to the topic of meeting safety and security, Prevue’s Duty of Care Summit is being held April 30 to May 1 at the Hilton Westchester. Sessions include: Mitigating Risk at Prudential; What Planners Need to Know About Hotel Security featuring Brad Waldron, VP of Risk Management at Caesars Entertainment; Global Risk Intelligence and Insights from Theresa Thomas of iJET; and a panel of experts from the travel management firm CWT, who will expose the vulnerabilities of those less-obvious aspects of a meeting or event—and what to do about them. The event is part of Prevue’s Visionary Summit series, learn more here.
