In this episode of Event Experience by Bizzabo, host Rachel Moore interviews Carina Bauer, CEO of IMEX Group, about the recent IMEX America event. Carina discusses the unique aspects of the event, including the introduction of a Brand Experience Summit aimed at bridging the gap between marketers and the events industry and the importance of community-led events that enhance the overall experience for attendees.
Carina emphasizes the significance of building a network within the events industry and the need for event planners to prioritize their time effectively. She highlights the value of partnerships in delivering specialized programs and the importance of creating personalized experiences for different sectors of attendees. The episode also touches on the long-term strategic goals of IMEX and the importance of innovation and incremental improvement in the events industry.
Carina Bauer is passionate about the business events sector and its impact on the world, taking a particular interest in issues around sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and mentoring the leaders of tomorrow. Carina also takes a keen interest in leadership development, and organizational best practices and culture.
Here’s what you’ll hear about in this conversation:
[00:00:00] Rachel: Welcome to Event Experience by Bizzabo, the podcast where we bring the best and brightest event experience leaders together to share stories, tips, and lessons learned by creating some of the world's biggest events.
[00:00:21] Rachel: I'm Rachel Moore, your podcast host.
[00:00:23] Rachel: Another year wrapped for one of the staple experiences of the events industry, IMEX. And we grabbed time with the CEO of IMEX group, Carina Bauer, for a download of IMEX America. Carina spills the tea on community led events, targeting diverse audiences, and innovative activations that defined this year's event experience with IMEX.
[00:00:47] Today's guest is a friend [00:01:00] and recurring guest of this podcast. And this time around, we can tout her 22 years as CEO of IMEX group, which is the worldwide exhibition for incentive travel meetings and events. And every year they host IMEX Frankfurt and IMEX America.
[00:01:16] Rachel: I'm thrilled to welcome back Carina Bauer to Event Experience. Welcome back, Carina.
[00:01:21] Carina: Thank you very much. Rachel, great to be back.
[00:01:24] Rachel: Yes, it's lovely to see you again.
[00:01:26] Rachel: Let us get into, and, and again, this will be interesting. I didn't look back at your answers, your prior answers to these, because again, they might change year to year, but let's see what's different and what's not. But, uh, first question, what are your go to on the ground event day shoes that you like to wear when it's going to be a long day?
[00:01:43] Carina: Oh, well now, we have the IMEX sneakers. So, always IMEX sneakers.
[00:01:49] Rachel: Oh my gosh. What kind of sneakers are they?
[00:01:51] Carina: They are owned an, uh, white labeled brand, it's called, Brand Your Shoes. They were, they exhibited with us in the Frankfurt show. They're a [00:02:00] Spanish business and they're completely, yeah, white label. They, our design team worked with them. So they're beautiful sneakers and, um, I've worn them for the past two shows and they're super comfortable.
[00:02:12] Carina: So those are definitely my go to.
[00:02:14] Rachel: And even stuff like that. It's like new answer and what a great answer. I love that. Um, is there anything that you're listening to watching or reading these days that you cannot put down?
[00:02:24] Carina: Oh, um, well, actually what I'm listening to a lot at the moment is a podcast called Climbing Gold and I like it because it's, it's a podcast with a couple of, uh, very famous amazing climbers, but they've got a lot of other climbers and adventurers on and I love stories about adventurers and elite athletes because I just think that they're amazing people and there's so much to learn in business from them.
[00:02:56] Carina: So I, I'm listening to that, um, a lot, and I [00:03:00] also, I'm sure I probably said this last time. I have a podcast called, um, The Culture Lab and that's also brilliant. So that's more about internal company culture. They have great guests on. Uh, and I really love them.
[00:03:13] Rachel: Oh, I'm going to check those out. Thank you so much for those is there a particular social post or a piece of media or even a hot take about events that you have found interesting lately?
[00:03:22] Carina: well, you know, Julius Solaris always does interesting, uh, posts.
[00:03:27] Carina: What was it? I think he did something quite recently around, I can't remember exactly what it was, but it was around self management, time management, not being sort of stupid busy. That type of thing. So that was, uh, I always find his posts are always great.
[00:03:44] Carina: And also Miguel Neves from Skift. He's done some really interesting articles lately as well. Um, I think he's got a webinar, um, shortly around sort of learnings from the six best events. So, you know, I think, um, I always look [00:04:00] at things like that and I try to attend as much, um, as possible.
[00:04:04] Rachel: Nice. Good call out to actually, and I, I know I'm actually interviewing someone that was featured in one of the skipped, um, articles about, uh, alcohol and the prevalence of alcohol at, uh, at events. And maybe there's a different, a new day ahead of us to do non-alcoholic drinks. So we're going to definitely be covering that.
[00:04:21] Carina: That was a real trend at IMEX this year. So, actually the #Drymex started coming up. Which we thought was very cool. it was an inclusive event. So what it did, it did have alcohol, but they promoted it as no alcohol first. Um, and so it was very clever and they made sure that the cocktails and the drinks, that weren't alcoholic were really special. I talked to somebody about it I said, you know, um, if you're not drinking, you don't necessarily want to drink like a child and just have sweet, you know, sickly cocktails or juices, you know, you still have an adult palate.
[00:04:57] Carina: You just may not want the alcohol in it. So [00:05:00] yeah, so I think that is, a, a trend that we really seen coming up, which I really like.
[00:05:05] Rachel: Exactly. Now, this is, this is great. But yeah, it's cool. And of course, IMEX is, is keen on whatever people are doing and talking about. So, I love that, that's already playing out.
[00:05:14] Rachel: And, um, yeah, I, uh, I'm glad we're talking to you. It's, it's been just a little bit over a year since we last had you on the pod, and so I think, um, at that point you were about to head into IMEX America. And this time we're talking to you on the other side of it, I believe.
[00:05:28] Rachel: So, yeah, I'm excited to, uh, have our, uh, listeners eat whether or not they were able to attend. Um, it's obviously a big draw, but I don't want to go too much more into that at the moment.
[00:05:39] Rachel: But, um, if you could, for any, anyone who's new to the podcast, could you just give a brief introduction? I know I just really gave like a one sentence synopsis of what, what your 22 years means. But what, what is your world like as the CEO of IMEX group?
[00:05:54] Carina: Yeah. I mean, um, it's a good world. I would say i'm very lucky in [00:06:00] that, um, obviously, you know, we have, I think my role as ceo has obviously developed over the period, um, as has the business and as has the industry, really.
[00:06:13] Carina: My role, really, is to set the direction, set our strategic priorities, our goals, set our culture as well.
[00:06:21] Carina: And I just see a big part of my role as, um, driving our team forward every year to focus on innovation and incremental improvement at the same time as really being there for the industry and playing my part in the industry and always trying to connect, I suppose, industry and more global trends to what we do so that we can help to lead forward within our industry.
[00:06:53] Carina: So, that's sort of a little bit of what I try to do on a day to day basis. And [00:07:00] obviously there's lots of emails and admin and other things that we don't talk about, and all of that happens as well. Um, but yeah, that's really where I try to, um, spend as much time as I can.
[00:07:12] Rachel: Well, based on the results and just the fact that this has been a staple. Like it is, you know, people ask like, which, which industry events should I go to each year? IMEX is always at the top.
[00:07:21] Rachel: I even think if people want to listen to the last time we had you on the podcast, like, we even came up with an, "I must experience", um, as like a, what, what I M E X could stand for as well.
[00:07:30] Rachel: But, um, it really does seem that way. And so, yeah, without further ado, let's jump into it. Um, we're going to zero in today on IMEX America 2024. So, um, can you, uh, acquaint us a little bit with that event, kind of where it happens, how it's unique a little bit, maybe two from IMEX Frankfurt, but we'd love to get some more information from you, like what is IMEX America?
[00:07:54] Carina: Yeah.
[00:07:55] Carina: So, I think, I think of both the shows. But IMEX America in particular is [00:08:00] really that, key linchpin event for the industry. Um, so, both the shows are. One takes place, obviously in Europe, one takes place in America.
[00:08:09] Carina: IMEX America, um, has become the largest event in the world for our industry. So we have, we had nearly 16,000 industry professionals coming to the show this year that included three and a half thousand exhibiting companies.
[00:08:27] Carina: Industry professionals, consultants, uh, nearly 6,000 industry buyers from America and all over the world. But I think what I mix America has become beyond that is, um, I see it almost as a community, a lead event now.
[00:08:43] Carina: So obviously it doesn't exist without us. And as the organizer, our job is to make sure that the core and the heart of the event, which is about our industry coming together to connect and do business and, and drive inspiration and, uh, and [00:09:00] get new ideas.
[00:09:00] Carina: Obviously that's what's at the heart of it and if we don't do that, well, the rest doesn't happen.
[00:09:06] Carina: But around the show now are so many community led events, I call them, from, you know, small, I don't know, I think there was like an introverts walk that was, you know, organized by some people on LinkedIn and a push up challenge and obviously buyer dinners and, you know, there's just sort of, this plethora of, of happenings, really, that we don't control.
[00:09:31] Carina: We don't try to control and I think that's what gives it this additional layers of experience and enjoyment.
[00:09:39] Carina: But also, what it means is that people can come to IMEX America, which is what I would call a mega event. They know everybody in the industry will be there at all levels as well, but they can have a very unique, um, micro experience within that mega event and I think that's really important because otherwise you can [00:10:00] get lost in a big event, you know, it's fine for us to talk about our numbers.
[00:10:03] Carina: We like it. It sounds good to us, but you know, as an individual, you also need to connect with your people and your tribe whilst you're there.
[00:10:13] Carina: And so, because everybody's there, because all these events going on, you can really craft your own experience in a way that you might not be able to at other events. So, I think that's what gives it that uniqueness. And we're very proud of the fact that it's become that kind of event.
[00:10:30] Rachel: I have to say too, I, I, you know, this obviously Bizzabo puts on this podcast and I believe, you know, we had the same approach too. But I love that you, knowing as, as the people who host it and organize it, you always think about people who organize an event, you're creating a time and a place.
[00:10:48] Rachel: And space for people to be somewhere. You obviously want that to happen. You want all that attendance, but you're encouraging the fact saying yes, but yes, that all these other side, gatherings, [00:11:00] community meetups, dinners, you know, even if it's by vendors and things like that, but these other opportunities, just add to the whole experience.
[00:11:07] Rachel: They're not taking anything away from, um, you know, the IMEX America event itself, the core event. But rather an additive.
[00:11:15] Rachel: It's making it all better, which I.
[00:11:18] Rachel: It really does speak. It's almost like a microcosm of the events industry. It's tough of why we do events, because it is about people getting together and, you know, allowing that you're creating that core opportunity for everyone else to say, yes, now go create your micro occurrence.
[00:11:32] Rachel: It's happening. I would imagine a lot of people, you know, they are coming, seeing the content, going to the trade show floors and stuff like that. But then they're able to go and talk about it amongst themselves and share those experiences together. Right?
[00:11:44] Carina: Yeah, absolutely! And they're able to have maybe unique experiences. And that's what makes it so memorable, right? You know, this year, there was the Tropicana implosion. So there were, I think there were about 40 different watch parties going on from, you [00:12:00] know, Club Ishi did their watch party. Some of the vendors did.
[00:12:03] Carina: They, you know, booked out suites in some of the hotels facing it. So these are unique experiences. And that's just one tiny example. And I think it is really important for us, um, we put boundaries around our event in terms of what, can and can't happen in those core hours, on, you know, because of course, we need people to be on the trade show floor.
[00:12:24] Carina: But outside of that, we really encourage the whole events community. To play their part and, um, yeah, and I think that's been something that's been growing over the years and I really felt like it, um, entered a kind of a tipping point for that this year.
[00:12:40] Carina: Where everybody was really looking to see what they could do, even if it was for their five or ten people versus other, the Marriott party, I think maybe had a thousand people.
[00:12:50] Carina: So, you know, you've got every spectrum there.
[00:12:53] Rachel: Nice, and I had just a quick call out to. I did not realize that was happening at the same time that the, the [00:13:00] Tropicana, um, was happening at the same time as, all that's, that's wild. Was that just serendipity that that occurred like right at the same?
[00:13:05] Carina: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I don't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. Some people enjoyed it. Um, I didn't enjoy being woken up at 2 a.m. Um, but yeah, it was, yeah, it was just serendipity. It was a super busy week in Las Vegas because of it. So that has, obviously, as an organizer, that has other challenges.
[00:13:24] Carina: We were one of, I think, four really large events this year. taking place in the city, plus obviously the, um, Tropicana implosion. And I know a lot of people came into the city just for that. Um, so yeah, it was, you know, but it's Las Vegas. There's always something interesting happening.
[00:13:41] Rachel: Exactly. Well, aside from that happening, and you've already touched a little bit on it. You know, where, you know, you do have the core event and you really did see kind of a, you know, pivot point of people tapping into the community that happens around the event.
[00:13:55] Rachel: Let's talk about your goals. And I, I, I would assume, you know, year to year and [00:14:00] between IMEX Frankfurt and IMEX America, you probably have very similar goals going into each year, but can you just, uh, briefly go over those with our, uh, with our listeners?
[00:14:08] Rachel: Just like, what are you setting out to accomplish each time with, with IMEX America?
[00:14:12] Carina: Yeah. So, what we do actually, um, we kind of have a framework that we work within. It's like a three year framework, which our whole team was involved in putting together a few years ago. So we're actually entering our, our third year of it.
[00:14:26] Carina: We call it our roots and branches. So we have our roots, which is really focused on things like operational efficiency, our team culture, impact and sustainability and, you know, so how we working to really make the foundations of the business really strong. Um, and, and really vibrant and a great place to, to work and then, those sort of routes, um, they support our branches, which is really focusing then on customer value on the whole IMEX experience.
[00:14:58] Carina: [00:15:00] And so that's really how we divide it up, if you like. And so, our teams work on different or they focus more on some elements than others. And we also, within that sort of create strategic priorities for each year.
[00:15:14] Carina: And then our KPIs sort of fit underneath that. So the KPIs, you know, there'll be more figures based, you know, how many buyers we need to get to the shows based on the amount of exhibitors we're expecting there.
[00:15:26] Carina: MPS scores, you know, all of those types of things. But actually what we focus on first, really, is the experience and the value creation. And that's what we've always got our eye on. And because we are a family business, we're able to kind of take that long term view. So, we'll often focus, experiment today because we know that things might take a little while to gain traction.
[00:15:54] Carina: You know, within sort of looking at something like the IMEX experience, we'll allow the [00:16:00] team to experiment with different ways of doing things, different ways, different technologies to help us track and measure the experience people are having. We did a lot of work over the past two years in terms of our customer journeys, our tech stack, integrating all our data. And that's all with a view to creating better value for our customers over that longer term.
[00:16:22] Carina: So that's really where we, how we kind of try to focus our time. So we have these kind of overarching priorities for the business, which do run for both shows, but then we have a separate sort of goals and details and KPIs for each show that, so that we can obviously adapt based on the need for that show.
[00:16:44] Rachel: And it's great that you're talking about it too, just in such a long term view. Uh, and I'm sure so many of our event planners try to do that, you know, but it's, it's hard of any, at any time and in any industry, it's kind of, it's a challenge, but especially in events, it, sometimes it can [00:17:00] feel like we're reacting so much to things that are happening around us, right?
[00:17:03] Rachel: But to still keep that intent, knowing you can pivot if you need to, but having a, you know, trying to make that a little bit more long term of a, of an endeavor. Right.
[00:17:12] Carina: Yeah, absolutely. I think that's, that's the balance for all of us in events, um, is that balance between pure reaction versus that kind of long term investment in thinking. And I think you've got to try to carve out time, at time and resource, actually, for those experiments, which you know are going to help you over the long term.
[00:17:36] Carina: So we'll, you know, we'll try something at one show, knowing that probably doesn't get much traction. I mean, I'll give you an example is say, our wellness um, lounge, which and now is our resilience room that's sponsored by Google, but, you know, the first time we did the wellness lounge, I think about 10 people went through there.
[00:17:57] Carina: They were like, "What? What is that?" You know, this is maybe a decade [00:18:00] ago. And we knew that we had to keep doing it because it takes time to build that traction, that understanding. And we'll do that with all sorts of things, big and small and I think that's really important. Or sometimes we'll set a three year goal and then just work out, well what piece do we need to achieve this year?
[00:18:19] Carina: Which might not feel very much, but it's just about putting in those building blocks. So it helps if there's some people in the team. I think you have that time to do that. And some people enjoy that more than others. Some people have that skill more than others. So, we try to also work out who can be more reactive and who can maybe think about those long term investments as well.
[00:18:42] Rachel: We'll be right back with more event experience after the break.
[00:18:46] Rachel Moore: Hey event professionals. Do you want to hear more from the industry's top Event Experience leaders? Don't miss out on future episodes of the Event Experience podcast by Bizzabo. Hit subscribe, drop us [00:19:00] a review, and share this episode with your friends and colleagues. The Event Experience podcast by Bizzabo, where events come to life.
[00:19:09] Rachel: We're back with Carina Bauer to learn what activations led the way at IMEX America.
[00:19:14] Rachel: Yeah. And that, that does make a ton of sense and yeah, just great that you're pointing out that you need to plan those resources that you can do it, but that,
[00:19:22] Rachel: That things are worth, you know, doing over time, knowing you need to keep at it and knowing, I mean, goodness. Anyone who works in marketing knows that too, right?
[00:19:30] Rachel: It's like, yeah, you do a flash in the pan. But the, the things that are worth doing are going to take, take time to build and just that consistency is going to be the key.
[00:19:39] Rachel: I want to, uh, I want to remind our listeners if they do go back to listen to our prior interview with you last year. Um, this will lead into my next question with you.
[00:19:47] Rachel: I know I think with last time y'all had to do a new tech approach with all of your exhibitors and stuff, which was, they were all very used to what had happened before. And so you had to introduce them [00:20:00] to that new way and be ready on the ground for. If and when things, uh, went awry and stuff.
[00:20:04] Rachel: So, I remember that being a very unique aspect to IMEX Frankfurt at the time. Was there anything interesting? And aside from the Tropicana, uh, you know, implosion happening at the same time. The demolition happening at the same time, which was not in your plan. But, um, were there any other special aspects or unique, uh, activations that, that happened at IMEX America that you wanted to, to draw attention to?
[00:20:24] Carina: Yeah, I mean, I think one of the, um, new activations or new experiences that we created and it, and it is exactly as we were just talking about, it was a start and something that we intend to build over time.
[00:20:38] Carina: We had a new brand experience summit that we did with Las Vegas, so with L-V-C-B-A, um, and with Allegiant and an agency called Envision.
[00:20:48] Carina: And what we are really trying to do there is sort of bridge the gap between marketeers and the events world because we know that events now more than ever are playing a massive [00:21:00] role in delivering the goals of marketeers.
[00:21:04] Carina: So events are finally, really being understood as a key channel to deliver, you know, brand equity, essentially.
[00:21:12] Rachel: Yeah.
[00:21:13] Carina: But marketers are not event organizers and vice versa. So the Brand Experience Summit was really about getting CMOs of big corporations to the show, and helping to bridge that gap. And that was, um, an outstanding event, really thanks to our sponsors, um, who did an extraordinary job at Allegiant Stadium.
[00:21:32] Carina: It was really, uh, Allegiant described it as a buyout of Allegiant Stadium for 50 people. And that is how they delivered it. I won't go into all the details here, but it really, they really did an extraordinary job. And it was a "Wow, money can't buy experience" for those CMOs. And we really wanted to do that for them because these are people who obviously are very senior, see so much.
[00:21:59] Carina: But [00:22:00] we wanted to show them what our industry can do for them. And also, and help them to learn and obviously meet with their peers, etc. So that was a great start, of course, and we really hope that we can build on that. We do have a whole event marketing track as a part of our education and we had done that before, but we put more focus and emphasis on it.
[00:22:23] Carina: We had more sessions this year within that. But obviously, you know, we have to always look at different levels of seniority and who's coming in and what do they need. So, I think that's something that, again, it was an experiment. We need to get the feedback and then we really want to build that out and build out the experience for those people.
[00:22:44] Carina: So, when people from what I call the lined industries are coming into our show, they need something a little bit different. So we're really trying to focus on those more personalized journeys. And we're doing that in Frankfurt as well. We, uh, we [00:23:00] work, an agency called MICE Impact, uh, based in Germany.
[00:23:03] Carina: And they're bringing in people that are more newer to the industry. They, we have a young stars track with them that we call it. So, we're bringing in some people in their first few years in the job who are going to, they are buyers and they're going to end up, you know, developing their career. But at this point they need a little bit more handholding through the show.
[00:23:26] Carina: Um, so yeah, so we, we kind of experimenting with different sectors, if you like, or sections of the industry to make sure that it's, that we have the core there, but that we're actually sort of broadening that appeal. for the show, but also for the whole industry as well.
[00:23:42] Rachel: Yeah, and that carries really nicely into my next question too, because, you know, we always think about target audience for your event. Like, who do you want to attend? Um, I know you brought up the awesome CMO activation you had at Allegiant. But then also looking at that kind of the halo effect of.
[00:23:58] Rachel: You're pointing out too, that, you [00:24:00] know, obviously, IMEX, it is about event planners, uh, and I'd love to hear you go more into this too. Like, who are you targeting to, you know, say, "Hey, this, this event is for you."
[00:24:09] Rachel: Even as you have different tracks, it can be for different people and different things.
[00:24:13] Rachel: But you really are tapping into that halo effect of saying, yes, there are event planners and events teams but there's also marketing teams, there's also sales teams, there's also the, so can you, uh, take us through that a little bit?
[00:24:25] Rachel: Like, who are you drawing to IMEX America? and is it a little bit different now? Are you trying to kind of expand that a bit?
[00:24:33] Carina: Yeah, you know, the core of the show is, you know, uh, event planners, uh, and also event agencies. So, about 65% of the hosted by a program in IMEX America are the event agencies. , but within the agencies, of course, you have the likes of, say, Marriott, people are more focused on the incentives.
[00:24:53] Carina: You've got the hotel booking agencies like HelmsBriscoe and ConferenceDirect, as well as the smaller [00:25:00] niche agencies. And then you also have marketing and brand agencies.
[00:25:04] Carina: So agency is quite a broad spectrum. Uh, spectrum. And certainly IMEX Frankfurt as well, a part of that is, are, um, the agencies like association management companies, or what we call, uh, core PCOs, who are more focused on the association convention.
[00:25:23] Carina: So, so that is quite a broad church. Then, of course, we are targeting the corporate in house event planner, who tends to be the client of the agencies, and often they will come into the show together, and our new system does allow them to have, um, their meetings together on a booth, so that's really nice.
[00:25:44] Carina: That's something that people asked, for, for ages. And we were finally able to deliver. So, that's a really nice, uh, sort of update. Because often, you know, it's better for the exhibitor to see those two people together and it's also better for them. And then, [00:26:00] of course, we're also focusing on the association planner.
[00:26:04] Carina: That's a little bit different in Frankfurt in America. Again, in America, you've got these very large trade associations, many of whom have their in house teams.
[00:26:13] Carina: In Europe, we do have that, but we also have sometimes the CEO of the association will be highly involved in the meeting because it's so important to their bottom line.
[00:26:25] Carina: So, that's all kind of cool. We also have a small percentage of independent planners, but I see the independents as like mini agencies, really. And we saw post pandemic, that percentage went up. From like 4% or 5% to about 15%. And now, it's come back down again as they've all been rehired into the agencies or the corporate.
[00:26:47] Carina: So, I think, that's more fluid. And, but we like to make sure that they're well looked after as well. And their specific education about running a business, about being a sole trader. Because I think [00:27:00] that's really important. And then, as you say, now, it's really about what are those aligned, sort of sectors that are coming into the industry.
[00:27:09] Carina: I think the marketing, um, professionals is massive, but we have to be sensible and try to target the right marketeers. So that's really important. Uh, CMOs, of course, but, um, yeah, event marketeers, that is slightly different and event and sort of strategic brand agencies. I think some of them come to the show, but not as many as we would like, because not as many understand our industry as an industry as I think should.
[00:27:43] Carina: There's also obviously the PA market, the executive assistant, the professional, the personal assistant. That's a market that we don't put massive resources into, but we do have partnerships with some magazines and trade associations to bring in [00:28:00] groups of PAs and EAs. And obviously you've got, you know, the incentive travel planner, which is, you know, very specialized.
[00:28:08] Carina: And then it sort of, we look at things like sports marketing, government, agencies, yeah. And so, you know, you've got some real big organizations, um, international NGOs, that type of thing.
[00:28:21] Carina: So again, not as, not as. Much time on that, but we do try to work with a few partners who can bring in those types of buyers.
[00:28:33] Carina: And, and within everything that I've talked about, medical is obviously so important. So the farmers and farmers, but also the medical associations. So I think with all of that, we tried to make sure we've got the product right in terms of having specialist education for them. But also, working with partners who can deliver the right experience for those people.
[00:28:55] Carina: And then finally, as I said, what we're trying to do as well is make sure that [00:29:00] we're bringing people who are new to the industry into the show and that it's friendly for them and inclusive for them and that they can utilize the show to start building their professional networks. They'll help them in their career, it will help our industry retain them, and it will also sort of help really tie them into the show and the industry for that longer term as they develop their career.
[00:29:25] Carina: Um, so yeah, so we do, um, at both the shows make sure that we have some specific buyer programs, where we've got specific numbers that we're bringing in. And what I'd love to see is more exhibitors bringing their young staff to the show to connect with those younger buyers and network with them because that would be really valuable for them.
[00:29:46] Rachel: Well, everyone, you heard it here. They would like more younger people in the industry to come to this. Because yeah, I mean, new generations are going to start taking on the mantle of all of this event planning and it's super important that they build those relationships [00:30:00] now.
[00:30:00] Carina: Exactly. They've got to build their networks, their relationships, they've got to learn. And, you know, the reality of our show is that it's a massive educational, apart from anything else, there's a massive free educational program. So it's a bit of a no brainer, really, to bring your young staff to the show for the cost of a flight and a couple of hotel nights.
[00:30:21] Carina: They can have a really rich experience with networking and education, even if they don't work the booth obviously it's always difficult and of course many of them do and I, I think that people are cottoning on to that and understanding that that's a really good use of their resources, time, and money
[00:30:42] Rachel: Yeah, well, and speaking of resources. I want to give you an opportunity to just, uh, you know, maybe shut out your team because what you just described, I mean, you really are creating, I think of Disney world or even like South by Southwest where it's like you're creating so many opportunities, in this one event. One in [00:31:00] Frankfurt, but then we're talking about the one in America, but every year where it's like, and you really are trying to cater to, those different, um, sectors of attendees, those different target audiences and doing that with, you know, making sure not that they feel welcome, but that there is content there, that there's stuff there that's relevant for them.
[00:31:17] Rachel: There's opportunities relevant for them. How does your team manage that? Cause that just, that seems like an enormous undertaking. Just want, want to kind of get an idea of the scope of that. How are they all, how do they, how do you, how do you do it?
[00:31:29] Carina: Yeah, I think, um, yeah, the team are obviously well connected. We have good longevity. They understand the industry very well so they can build on that year on year. and really we do that through partnership. That is how we do it. We don't, we cannot do all of that ourselves. So we do it through building industry partnerships.
[00:31:52] Carina: With the entire spectrum of the industry and working with those partners to either better understand what the [00:32:00] needs are or allow them to really help us to deliver those very specific and specialized programs. And that's really how we're able to achieve it.
[00:32:14] Rachel: Great call out. Yeah. I, I, the importance of partners and. Particularly, this is all about humans connecting with humans, but what better way to exhibit that than, you know, partnering with, with, uh, people and teams that can help make that vision happen. It's a win, win, win for everyone.
[00:32:29] Carina: Exactly, exactly. And that's what, you know, that is the key, isn't it, to any partnership. Everybody knows that, but that is the difficult part as well. How do you really work out what is beneficial on both sides and allow that to happen? And, you know, it's, it's not easy. It doesn't always work first time, but again, that's, we, we try to look at partnerships for a long term so that we can build on them.
[00:32:58] Carina: Year on year as we start to [00:33:00] understand each other better, and that's really how we tend to approach things.
[00:33:04] Rachel: Love it. Love it. Well, um, Easiest question of all, where can our listeners find and follow you online?
[00:33:10] Carina: Mainly on LinkedIn, actually. Um, that would be the best place. Otherwise, Instagram. Um, I'm not really, I do have an ex account, but I'm not really, uh, on that anymore. And same with Facebook as well. So, I would say, um, LinkedIn, not Instagram. I'm not a TikToker, I'm too old. I've tried, but I'm just too old.
[00:33:31] Rachel: Carina's skill up advice should send you straight to LinkedIn to accept new connections.
[00:33:47] Carina: Two things. One thing would be, to build your network, because I think in our industry, um, we've got an amazing industry of amazing people who want to help each other, genuinely. [00:34:00] It's very unusual. Um, I think, and we're very lucky with that. And so, I'd really focus on building a network, whatever that means to you, because you don't have to be alone as an event planner, and sometimes depending on your business that you're working in, it can feel quite lonely, especially if you're, questioning things, or you're not sure how to do things, um, but you don't need to be alone. There are a whole group of people out there who are dying to help if you ask for the help.
[00:34:27] Carina: so that would be the one sort of practical piece of advice. And the other thing that I would say as an event planner is really Take some time, and there are multiple ways to do this, but take some time at some point to try to step back a bit. And give yourself time to work out what your priorities are, both in life and in your work, and for your event.
[00:34:51] Carina: Because as an event planner, as we said at the beginning, it's very easy to be reactive to the work. And that doesn't [00:35:00] necessarily mean you're doing the most important work that's going to move your event forward. So it's very easy for us to be busy, essentially. And so I would just say, you know, I've learned over time, you don't need to respond that second to every email.
[00:35:16] Carina: You need to really find a way to manage your time and your priorities to make sure you're spending your time on the most important work. Sometimes that's about self reflection. Sometimes that's just about time management. Depends for different people. But that's certainly something that if people haven't already done it, I think is valuable.
[00:35:36] Rachel: Thanks again to Carina Bauer for joining us on Event Experience, and thank you for listening. If you're enjoying the show, we'd love to hear it. Connect with us on social, and subscribe, rate, and review us wherever you're listening. Also, don't forget to share the show with your colleagues and friends[00:35:53] Rachel: you can find transcripts of each episode and key takeaways on bizabot. com forward slash podcast on [00:36:00] behalf of the team. Thank you. We'll gather again soon for a new episode of event experience.
