After nine years of year-on-year increases in the number of association meeting planners attending the IMEX Association Day, the IMEX team, its association partners and advisors have completely revamped the day’s education programme for 2012.

The result is that the 2012 Association Day, which takes place in the show’s 10th anniversary year,  now offers double the number of educations sessions arranged in specialist tracks; plus contributions from 25 speakers, including CEOs and Executive Directors from some of Europe and America’s largest associations including the European Cancer Organisation (ECCO), the International Association of Public Transport and the Optical Society.

Brand new learning formats, such as ‘Deep Dives’, will allow delegates to explore a number of single issue topics over a 3-hour period, and a new ‘Ask the Expert’ clinic will provide complimentary, one-to-one consultancy on VAT issues.  Three new education tracks have also been introduced – meetings, operations and executive – to allow for further content refinement based on attendees’ roles and responsibilities. The day will conclude with a choice of over 20 peer-to-peer round-table discussions with topics chosen by delegates in advance of the day.

IMEX Association Day targets and typically attracts around 300 association executives from over 30 countries, 85% of whom are full-time senior association professionals with many at Executive Director or Secretary General level.  Most of the buyers attend as part of the show’s hosted buyer programme, which means they also attend the trade show and meet exhbitors over the three days that follow.

As Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, explains: “Our feedback shows that association executives want to be stretched and to step back from their day-to-day tasks to explore some big picture topics and long-term business challenges. Alongside new content with a harder strategic focus, we have introduced some highly specialised topics such as “Managing Your Room Blocks”.  This ensures that there is excellent choice in the programme – ranging from niche topics to broader strategic topics such as “Generating New Revenues” or highly topical sessions like “Online Learning and Sustainability.”

The IMEX Association Day will be hosted by the Congress Center, Messe Frankfurt on Monday 21st May.  The programme kicks off with a networking lunch followed by a choice of two seminars in each of the three new tracks. These will include a ‘Deep Dive’ led by ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership on “Managing Through Change” (executive track). Moderated by Brian Riggs, Vice President of Association Headquarters, Inc., it will also feature Robin Lokerman, CEO Institutional Division, MCI Group; Peter O’Neil, CAE, Executive Director, American Industrial Hygiene Association; Robert Waller, CAE, President, Association Headquarters, Inc and Patrizia Lucca, AIM International.