IMEX America Breaks Attendance Records and Commits to Vegas 

IMEX America wrapped up its 2024 edition at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas. Record-breaking attendance included 15,500, of which 5,500 were buyers who had 86,000 meetings over three days.

The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) shared the same venue with IMEX. It is estimated that more than 25,000 convenience store professionals were in attendance.

The Global Gaming Expo was also in town October 6-9. The expo gathered over 25,000 attendees and 350 exhibitors at The Venetian Expo.

Adding to the excitement in the city was the implosion of the two towers of the iconic Tropicana early Wednesday morning in an event called “Drop the Trop.” Sixty-seven years of Tropicana history were brought down to make way for the Athletics’ proposed Las Vegas ballpark and resort complex. The property came down in only 22 seconds, with fireworks and a drone show preceding the implosion. 

Getting around the city proved difficult. Not only were there six sizable conventions in town, but preparations are underway for the 2024 F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which takes place November 21-23. Some streets are closed as the track, grandstands, hospitality suites, lighting, and more are installed.

Group Business Important to Vegas

During a closing press event, Stephanie Glanzer, chief sales officer and senior vice president of MGM Resorts, emphasized the importance of group business to the destination, especially mid-week.

In addition, Rebecca DeLuca, vice president of destination sales for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, also spoke at the press event reinforcing this message with statistics.

“The impact of meetings on Las Vegas is massive with 16 to 17 percent of our 40 million visitors, 6 million, who come to Las Vegas for meetings or trade shows,” she said. “That represents $9 billion of direct spend and $15.1 billion of economic impact.

IMEX kicked off with Smart Monday in partnership with MPI, gathering 1,600. Skift Meetings brought back its Innovation Lab, which featured peer-to-peer discussions about issues impacting the industry.

In addition, IMEX education was offered across seven tracks. They included technology and innovation, business practices, impact, trends/research, well-being, experience design and event marketing. More than 150 sessions were held in a wide array of gathering spots in the Inspiration Hub.

The sessions included AI captions from Wordly, AI session summaries from Snapsight and closing rap songs by Event Rap.

Sustainability was a focus of this year’s gathering. Recyclable paper badge holders and compostable beverage cups and flatware were featured. “Meet Green are our auditors, and we expect our waste diversion to be over 90 percent,” said Carina Bauer, CEO of IMEX.

IMEX is scheduled to be held in Mandalay Bay through 2027. When asked about plans after 2027, Bauer said IMEX will be held in Las Vegas indefinitely.