IMEX 2024: Dive into #SmartMonday with Disney Meetings & Events!

Essential takeaways you need to know from industry thought leaders at IMEX America 2024?

Disney Meetings & Events has arrived to #IMEXAmerica2024! We are so excited to meet everyone on the tradeshow floor this week! Yesterday, our team dove into the #SmartMonday sessions, hearing from top industry experts and thought leaders. This year's standout sessions focused on the pillars of event design, collaboration, and return on experience.?

Read on to discover some of our biggest takeaways from the Smart Monday Sessions.

Event Design

The foundation of an exceptional meeting or event is the design. From the event space to the food, the design of your event should support your organization’s goals. Your attendees will interact and experience each element in completely unique ways while connecting with one another. Naomi Clare from Storycraft Labs highlighted that in your event design, it’s important to create spaces where your organization and your attendees’ stories are not only just told but shared.

Transport your audience into a fully immersive experience through Disney Meetings & Events’ unparalleled event design. From our flexible meeting spaces for all group sizes to unique destinations such as our Disney parks, we can make your dream event come to life. We will weave your story through all aspects of the event, including the custom decor, culinary, venue, entertainment and activities to create the ultimate transformative experience.

Collaboration

When planning any meeting or event, who you collaborate with is pivotal. It is important to bring together diverse expertise, ideas, and resources to create memorable and seamless experiences for your attendees. A common thread discussed at Smart Monday this year was the importance of being purposeful in your partnerships. When collaborating with someone, you want to be confident that they will elevate your message and recognize the needs of your attendees.

Disney Meetings & Events is the ultimate partner in transformational events. Our Disney Event Architects prioritize hands-on collaboration designed to unleash creativity and uncover hidden opportunities. Through our collaboration, your event potential will be endless between our vast resources, knowledge and unparallel imagination. When working with our Disney Event Architects, you unlock a vast toolbox of resources and a legacy of rich storytelling. Our resources go past Disney Meetings and Events and broadens to the rest of the Disney Company like our BERGS (Business Employee Resource Group), which are employee-led groups that center around various shared interests, identities, or pursuits. To ensure that cultural stories are being shared in authentic, inclusive ways, our Disney Event Architects will often collaborate with our BERGS to discuss and learn how to accurately represent and celebrate your story.

Return on Experience

Meetings and events provide a unique environment for people to connect with one another and their organization. A well-designed event creates meaningful and memorable moments that attendees resonate with long after the event concludes. Heather Munnell, Director of Client Experience at VDA Inc., explained that immersive experiences should connect attendees emotionally, physically, and intellectually. Even small touches like a surprise and delight could carry home with attendees, organically turning them into brand ambassadors.

Give your attendees a return on their experience through motivating, connecting and inspiring them. Jump start your meeting by surprising your attendees with one of our new impactful general session openers. These imaginative program openers transform a standard greeting into an unforgettable moment they won’t forget. Connect through Disney Meeting’s and Events’ new Team-Building experiences designed to increase engagement and retention. These 6 new Team-Building and networking sessions combine Disney stories with purposeful play-based learning to delight your attendees and deliver a positive return on experience. Inspire through our professional development programs including access to custom Disney Institute programs and aspirational speakers.

At Disney Meetings & Events, we believe in the magic that comes from creating transformational experiences for you and your attendees. We look forward to connecting with you whether it is at IMEX 2024 this week or via our social channels. Connect with us on?LinkedIn , Facebook ,?or?Instagram at @DisneyMeetingsandEvents. We're eager to help you create the perfect meeting or private event for any size group, theme, and objective. To speak with a?Disney Meetings & Events ?representative about our pricing and options available at our Disney Parks & Resorts destinations in Florida, California, Hawaii or at our international destinations, please?contact us ,?submit a request for proposal ?or?sign up to stay in touch ?and continue learning more about Disney Meetings & Events.