What if you could leave an event feeling better than before?

A question the IMEX team asked ourselves a few months back.?

Have you experienced an event that made you feel more inspired, more connected and more energized than when you walked in the door??

Yes. Us too!?

But can this apply to a large, industry-leading trade show??

With the hashtag #imexhausted ringing in our ears from years gone by, we realized we no longer felt comfortable celebrating exhaustion. It’s not the experience we want any attendee to have!??

Our ambition is to help IMEX attendees feel more inspired, more connected and more energized. Now, more than ever, we’re prioritizing well-being and balance.??

It’s an ambitious, but prescient goal...?

Burnout is a global concern?

According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2024 Report , overall well-being declined last year, especially amongst younger people. Staggeringly, 20% of employees reported feeling lonely every day.??

And burnout is a concern in many global workplaces. The report suggests the estimated cost of low employee engagement to businesses is $8.9 trillion.??

In the context of the events industry, 41% of respondents in the 2024 Freeman trends report cited burnout and fatigue as a significant professional challenge – and that’s an increase on the previous year’s figures.??

Hands on well-being at IMEX America?

With this data as our backdrop, and overwhelm and potential fatigue in mind, our Head of Programming, Tahira Endean’s current approach is to weave well-being throughout the fabric of the education program at IMEX America 2024.?

A dedicated well-being education track with 50 sessions, starts on Smart Monday October 7 and runs every day on the show floor. Sessions range from ‘How to use your breath to shift your mental state’ with Mallory Combemale, to one-to-one coaching and self-care practices with Ayurvedic coach, Carmen Boscolo. Paul Griggs will share all important stress management techniques and Vimari Roman and Rachalle Stone will discuss the benefits of ‘work-life integration’.?

Wellness trends to watch?

Elsewhere, attendees interested in the future of well-being , should favorite sessions on biohacking with David T Stevens and Anca Platon Trifan; cutting-edge food and nutrition with Pete Ghione, Director of Culinary Innovation at Canyon Ranch or try somatic breathwork and conscious breathing with Sepideh Eivazi.?

They can also discover how to design transformative luxury wellness experiences with Susie Arnett, Global Director of Wellness Programming at Six Senses Resorts.?

Vulnerable conversations matter?

Our Tough talks are small group, supportive spaces created to address important life events, such as the menopause at work with Ciara Feely; mental health and suicide with Deana Brown Mitchell and anticipatory grief with Dahlia El Gazzar. ?

The Google Experience Institute (Xi) will offer morning ‘energizer’ sessions; talks on how to design for Human flourishing and workshops on their new Belonging Playbook. While Event Minds Matter by Club Ichi will host a dialogue space on the show floor.?

Or, if you’re looking for meaningful conversations, head to the new Community Table at the Inspiration Hub. This is the place for facilitated discussions to share your thoughts and ideas with others. Join as strangers, leave as friends, AND feel invigorated!???

Social fitness?

Those wanting to keep up their physical fitness can connect with others during Go! Running Tours’ brisk walking tour of the city on Monday and the infamous 5km IMEXrun Wednesday morning.??

A pickleball court will be popping up for the first time on the show floor sponsored by Visit Seattle. And the popular IMEX Wellbeing Challenge, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment and powered by Heka Health is back with some amazing prizes to be won for completing their challenges.??

Places to rest and reset?

In other aspects of show design, this year’s edition features dozens of opportunities to find quiet spaces, places to work and places to rest and reset.??

The Neu Project Resilience Space, powered by Google Xi and Hello! Destination Management is located just outside the show floor. Designed to calm the senses and provide mental and physical space for people to decompress.?

There’s also a Quiet Lounge seating area and attendees can find both the Zen Work Lounge with workstations and the AFR Lounge on the show floor.?

Oli Bailey, who leads the IMEX show experience team explains: “Designing events with well-being at the forefront is no longer a nice to have, it’s a must-have.? We’ve integrated more water stations, healthier menus and rest areas into the show this year and we’ve also noticed an increase in exhibitor well-being activations. It’ll be interesting to see how people respond to those.”?

“Work-life integration is in and separation is out”?

The 2024 Freeman trends data reported a desire for professional and personal alignment. 44% said it’s important there’s some overlap between their professional and personal interests.??

IMEX Group CEO, Carina Bauer shares, “We want attendees to bring their whole selves to our shows. There’s no need to leave your eating habits, well-being practices and routines behind. We know ‘real life’ keeps going when we’re at an event - we’re still parenting our kids, caring for dependents and thinking about our endless to-do lists, especially when traveling.?

So, we’ve embedded opportunities to look after yourself every day of our show. Starting with the basics like staying hydrated; workspaces that help you make time to stay in touch with the office and do your job, or simply finding a quiet space to make a call home.??

At the end of this show, if our attendees leave feeling just 2% better than they did beforehand, then we’ll have done our job and laid the #imexhausted legacy to rest,” concludes Carina.??

Complete the Experience Profile? Quiz to get your personalized trail guide to the show.?

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Well-being at IMEX ?