To ensure we maintain strong relationships with clients and receive the best rates from properties, we sent Hannah, one of our Meetings and Events specialists from Access, over to Frankfurt to attend this year’s IMEX event.
“With bags packed and passport at the ready, I was up bright and early to catch my flight direct from Birmingham to Frankfurt for the Annual Meeting, Incentive, Conference & Exhibition event, IMEX.
As this was my first time visiting Frankfurt, I was pleasantly surprised that the flight time was less than an hour (shorter than my standard commute would you believe)! On arrival to Frankfurt, we were warmly welcomed by members of the IMEX team, who directed us to the correct transfers to Messe Frankfurt, a world-class event venue, well suited for such a renowned event!
For those of you who haven’t heard of the event (don’t worry, we won’t hold it against you), it’s an exhibition where over 3,500 exhibitors from approximately 150 countries, are given the chance to showcase their properties or product to over 5,200 decision makers from across the globe! That may all sound a little confusing but essentially, it gives us, Access Bookings, the chance to discuss our requirements with new properties. As well as building stronger relationships with existing contacts, to ensure we can help you with all of your Meeting & Event enquiries, no matter how weird and wonderful the request may be!
As you can imagine with those numbers, the event is mind-bogglingly massive! Well, there was no need to worry! IMEX have a nifty little app which I downloaded prior to the event, this sent notifications with each scheduled appointment, information about talks, networking and educational events, as well as having a very handy map of the venue with each stand clearly labelled.
Off I set into the sea of #eventprofs… As you walk through the doors to the main conference hall, you are welcomed by a buzz of chatter, laughter and music coming from each stand, all of which are extremely impressive in there own right. Being Welsh (not biased at all, I promise), my favourite was definitely the big Welsh dragon, stood proud on the MeetInWales stand. In between appointments, there is live music to enjoy, new and exciting tech (a large floor piano, like from BIG for the big kids to enjoy) and even the chance to have a picture with Megan & Harry (ok….cardboard cut outs), but the Visit England stand were very prepared for the big day, creating individual fascinators for all delegates prepared to face the queue!
After a long, but productive day, it was time to head out for dinner with my hosted group. Vienna House had chosen a beautiful Italian steak house, which offered the biggest and best steak I had ever eaten! These networking evenings are a great way to get to know suppliers, in a less formal environment, which is the best way to chat about upcoming events and how they can best help. Not only do you get to chat to suppliers, you also get the chance to speak to other event industry professionals, to get an idea of what they do for their specialist sectors! Overall, it’s a great way to share ideas and chat about experiences, the good, the bad and the ugly!
I was accommodated at the Adina Apartment Hotel, Frankfurt Westend. The rooms were beautifully decorated, with a small kitchenette, sitting room and a very large, comfy bed! The perfect spot for a city break to Frankfurt with enough space for the whole family or film crew if you’re looking for a stylish location to shoot a one-to-one interview!
Despite touching down in Germany for just over 24 hours, my flying visit to Frankfurt was extremely beneficial and I have come away with new and exciting properties in mind, to help you with your next event, be that in the UK, Europe or even across the pond to America!”
Looking for a jaw-dropping event venue for your next wrap party? Need a last minute suite to shoot an interview in or maybe you need a secret location for script writing?
We’ve got you covered. Contact us today at MICE@accessbookings.com to see how we can help you!
