No More Bad Events

Cruising with Carina Bauer: Part II

Episode Summary

Last week, IMEX America was held in Las Vegas. Today, Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, gives us more insight into this award-winning show that brings the meetings industry together under one roof and what went into building the architecture for the show. The interview is followed by a bonus segment of attendee interviews that you won't want to miss.

Episode Notes

Cruising with Carina Bauer: Part II

We catch up with IMEX Group CEO Carina Bauer after IMEX America

OPENING QUOTE:

“I think that's really important for all of us as sustainability becomes more important in everything that we do, that we really build nature…into everything that we do and the decisions that we make.”

-Carina Bauer

GUEST BIO:

Carina Bauer is CEO of The IMEX Group, a company that organizes trade shows for the international business events industry. According to Carina, her sole purpose as CEO is to help clients and partners “make more profitable connections and create even better events.”

Links:

CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:

[6:05] - Emphasis on Nature

Creating a more sustainable world

Having originally planned to make nature the theme of IMEX America 2020, Carina and her team felt the message of sustainability and nature was more relevant than ever. Everything from the education areas to the lounges and food courts are nature-themed. She says that whenever she’s designing a show and show experience, she’s always looking for what will drive people to have a better overall experience from the show.

[12:51] - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Carina’s take on DEI in the events industry

Carina wants IMEX to be a place where women and others can be inspired to reach their goals, network, and learn from each other. They’ve even developed an internal squad dedicated to creating a code of conduct that ensures gender-neutral toilets at the show, accessibility throughout the venue, and much more.

[18:06] - What are You Proud Of?

Discussing Carina’s personal landmarks at IMEX

Carina is most proud of the way that, post-pandemic, IMEX has been able to transform itself while keeping its teams together. Rather than suffering from the great pause, they took it as an opportunity to learn, develop new skills, discover different areas of the industry, such as virtual events, and develop their culture. She says that’s something they continue to build and reinvent every day.

[20:11] - What Makes IMEX Special?

A perspective from the CEO

What’s the most unique aspect of IMEX? Carina says it’s the way that it brings together an entire global business events family. If you’re passionate about the industry or any aspect of it, IMEX can create connections that are transformational for you or your business. “Whatever your interest is, there will be something for you.”

RESOURCES:

[2:37] About IMEX
[2:37] IMEX America

Follow Carina Bauer:

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Episode Transcription

Carina Bauer:

And I think that's really important for all of us. As sustainability becomes more important in everything that we do, that we really build nature, I suppose it's about building nature into everything that we do and the decisions that we make.

Scott Bloom:

Welcome to No More Bad Events, the podcast for professional event organizers and anyone who wants to take their events to the next level. Each week, we'll hear from the best in the business and get an inside look at what goes on behind the scenes at the world's most perfectly executed conferences, meetings, and more. Together, we'll learn the secrets and strategies to help us reach one big goal. No More Bad Events, our show is brought to you by eSpeakers, and I'm your host, Scott Bloom. Let's get started.

Today's show is sponsored by Impact Eleven, formerly known as 3 Ring Circus, the best and most diverse and inclusive community built for training and developing professional speakers. They're not just elevating an industry we know and love. They work with hundreds of speakers to launch or scale their speaking businesses, earning tens of millions in speaking fees, landing bureau representation, securing book deals, and rising to the top of the field. If you're looking to take your speaking career to the next level, they'll help you make a bigger impact faster. To learn more and schedule a free intro call, visit impacteleven.com. That's impact impacteleven.com.

No More Bad Events is produced and presented by eSpeakers, who believes in the magic that happens when the perfect presenter gets in front of your audience and moves them. The eSpeakers marketplace helps you find, connect with, and hire from the deepest catalog of experts who speak on the planet. The platform makes it easy to find, contract, and pay the expert who will ignite your audience to accomplish your meeting goals and exit to a standing ovation. For more information, visit espeakers.com/nomorebadevents. That's espeakers.com/nomorebadevents.

As you may know, last week, IMEX America was held in Las Vegas. And today, Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group gives us more insight into this award-winning show that brings the meetings industry together under one roof and what went into building the architecture for the show. The interview is followed by a bonus segment of attendee interviews that you won't want to miss. But first, we'll hear about Carina's passion for the industry and its impact on the world. We'll learn how she takes particular interest in issues around sustainability, diversity, and inclusion and she you wrap those issues up into the framework of this year's conference. From the overarching show concept which was grounded in nature to integrating gender neutral devices, she tells us about a myriad of micro moments intentionally built into this mega event, all intended to provide experiences and inspiration that could be carried forth into the events world going forward, all designed to refresh and reset, all designed to make better events. This is an awesome interview. And so without further ado, let's roll with it and get an insider glimpse of all the action.

Now, I know that you're probably busy during these conferences, and you are running around, make sure everything's taken care of. But you must pick up some things as well just being there. You were talking about, you get a chance to see what new trends are going on, what's happening. What did you learn last year at IMEX America and what do you expect to hear this year not only IMEX America, but what's coming up in Frankfurt?

Carina Bauer:

Yeah, well, I think one of the amazing things really is how resilient this industry has been through... You know, there aren't many industries that have been more impacted than ours by the pandemic, and yet what we saw at IMEX America and what we're seeing as we lead up to Frankfurt is how many new openings there are for the hotels around the world, how much the destinations, the venues have invested in their infrastructure. There are new convention centers opening. One has just opened, for example, in Hamburg, in Germany. Many new properties that have been built up, many refurbs as well. And how, yeah, quickly really the industry is bouncing back.

And so I think it's really valuable for people to come into this show in particular with a very open mind about what is new and not assume that it's the same as 2019. And also not assume that things have gone backwards because in many cases, destinations and venues took the opportunity to ramp up and improve themselves through this period. And so that's really what I'm seeing. Whether it's a new airline route, for example, that's opening from St. Louis to Frankfurt the week of the show to a new convention center to... I don't even want to put a number, but there are huge number of new hotels opening in London this year, for example. So that's what I would really advise people to just come with a really open mind and see what's new and different.

Scott Bloom:

Yeah, it's really an exciting time. Now, I know you have something called talking point, and the talking point for this year, is it nature? Is that what it is?

Carina Bauer:

It is, yeah, it is. So our talking point, we do sometimes set a talking point for the year and it allows us to do deeper research and insights and theming for some of our education around that. We had set nature in 2020 and looking at COP26 last year, everything that's going on right now and the real focus coming out of the pandemic on sustainability and this drive to net zero, we felt that it was still possibly even more relevant than it's ever been. So nature is our theme and our talking point, and we have really themed our education areas and we got a call where we have lounges and food courts and all the education and we've really put a lot of design and theming into nature. So there's indoor and outdoor areas for people to sit and have a break and lunch.

Our education areas have that as their central theme and our called forest, ocean, and canyon rooms. So we've really put a focus on... Yeah, grass, we've got a central park is the cafe. So all of those aspects are very important to us in not just linking to the theme, but we really feel that it brings a different experience for people. And whenever we are designing the show and the show experience, we're always looking at what will drive people to have a better overall experience at the show, as well as the things that they might want to pick up and learn and steal for their own events. Because we always have that kind of dual purpose because we are bringing thousands of event organizers together.

Scott Bloom:

Yeah, no, it's a great theme, it's a refreshing theme, it's a renewing theme, and kind of prescient when you had it in 2020 about nature. I mean, something about the pandemic had to do with nature, but there's the positive side of nature. But nature's also, I think you also use it as almost a metaphor of applying the principles of nature to our business events, how things are changing. Tell me about that. Was that part of the thought process?

Carina Bauer:

Yeah, absolutely. So I think one of the things we looked at, and we did some research in 2020 and 2021 around nature, and one of the things we really looked at was this concept of biomimicry. And that is the idea of learning from nature. For example, many architects nowadays are learning from nature in terms of how they... architects and engineers in terms of how they design their buildings, but we can also learn from nature in-

Carina Bauer:

... and design their buildings, but we can also learn from nature in terms of, as you say, how we renew ourselves, how we design our events. We did a whole white paper around how you build nature into your events and how that impacts the event experience and the outcomes for the participants and how you can do that in small ways. So we are really trying to utilize that concept and I think that's really important for all of us as sustainability becomes more important in everything that we do, that we really build nature. I suppose it's about building nature into everything that we do and the decisions that we make.

Scott Bloom:

Yeah, it's a great theme, a great idea. I think that's the golden nugget in this podcast is, from what I'm hearing, I mean obviously the people who haven't been to IMEX, definitely go out and go there this year, especially the people here in the US. It's going to be in October, I believe. But this idea of renewing is so appropriate right now, but also following that cycle and what a great way... People feel good around nature and why not bring an aspect of that within the ballroom, within a trade show space.

Carina Bauer:

Exactly. Yeah. And we do have, as I say, a great white paper. It's very digestible. And one of the things I like about it is it's got a little bit of theory and then lots of practical tips for how you absolutely do that. How do you bring, if you are in a ballroom space that doesn't have natural light and any nature within it, how do you bring that in, in a practical, easy way? And there are lots of ways of doing that that aren't super expensive, through a bit of lighting, through maybe some planting, through sounds and smells. So that's one of the things we did at IMEX, we actually went, or one of our team went down to the beach, took some audio of waves crashing, of birds in the park and we pipe that audio through speakers in Central Park, in our food court.

It's a really simple thing, but you can be sitting there in the middle of an exhibition hall, which is essentially a big warehouse, standing on grass and hearing birdsong. And it changes the way you actually feel in that moment. And I think that's what we are trying to do, that in a mega event like ours with thousands of people where people are hugely busy, that there are moments and places of calm where they can go and take a deep breath. And whether that's our be well lounge that we have, or whether it's just the food court being designed a little bit differently, that makes a difference to people. And I think it's really incumbent on us all to try to think about how we design each element of our event. And the people listening today will know what's important for their event and their stakeholders, but there are lots of simple ways that we can do that if we just put the thought into it.

Scott Bloom:

Yeah, it's that space in between the content to keep the mood up. I remember being in Cancun at the Ritz there and we had a place right over the water and hearing that sound of the ocean at night crashing in, it was amazing. And I have one of those noise machines and every night I play the waves crashing in. It just puts me in a mood, so I love that.

So tell me about DEI in the events industry. I know this is something personal to you. You've been a leader in reinforcing the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the industry. One example being She Means Business, how do you continue this momentum of bringing that awareness to DE and I?

Carina Bauer:

Yeah, I think it started for us personally with looking at women's leadership and certainly since about 2016 we've been working with some partners, NPI, but also a partner in Germany to do surveys and also to put together this conference, She Means Business, which we were able to carry on virtually through the pandemic. And it was really about inspiring women in the industry to reach for their goals, to be inspired by other women and just to network and learn from each other. I think that has obviously moved on as the world has. And what we are really keen to do now is for that to be a conversation for all, as we call it, because of course many of our male friends and colleagues are in leadership positions, but maybe running all female or almost all female teams. And so it's really important that we discuss together how to elevate women into leadership positions.

But beyond women, our DEI work goes quite deep at IMEX because what started as women's leadership turned into a much broader DEI project. We have an internal team or squad we call it, that work on this. And they have done everything from putting together a code of conduct to ensuring we have gender neutral toilets at the show. We're now also looking very closely at accessibility at the show, whether that's our website, the colors we use, the audio on our app or indeed the venue and how people who are not able bodied can get around. So there is so many... I think what's interesting and also challenging for DEI, it's such a broad topic and it touches everything. But we're really trying hard to improve the way we do things and work at IMEX, but also again, in that educational capacity to really talk about it in the industry. We've developed, for example, an inclusive language guide that we train our team on. We do training for them throughout the year.

So it's just about putting it out there, having that conversation. Saying openly, "This is a tough topic. There's lots for people to discuss, but let's bring the industry together to start discussing it because it's so important for all of us." And I think for me, inclusivity is the key area. We want, certainly IMEX, but I think we want as an industry to be seen to be inclusive and I feel we still have work to do in that regard. But talking about it is step one.

Scott Bloom:

Yes. I mean, you're passionate about this industry. It's clear you've been on many boards, many councils, often chairperson of these different councils. You've won many awards, you're involved in mentoring a lot of people. Why do you feel this passion for this industry? Why is it so important to you?

Carina Bauer:

Yeah, I mean obviously initially it comes down to the people, doesn't it? And the people in this industry who are also so passionate. And so that builds that momentum, certainly when you first come into the industry. And I did find as a woman coming into the industry, a very welcoming and inclusive environment. I do believe though that as an industry, we do have the opportunity for a higher purpose in terms of building global connections, which of course if we can do that should and will lead to more prosperity for people around the world, breaking down barriers, reducing discrimination. And so as well as now in this time we are in such uncertain economic times coming out of the pandemic and everything else that's going on in the world. We have a real opportunity if we [inaudible 00:17:05] ourselves and do our job properly to help every industry in the world to reset and come back and improve and achieve their goals.

And that will help everybody. And so I think what we bring in terms of our expertise is that knowledge of how you bring people together effectively to build those strategic aims. Whether it's researchers talking about how the world gets to net zero through COP26, or whether it's a business that's trying to rebuild itself. All of these are noble aims and I think we have an opportunity to really support people and all of those verticals to come back more strongly. So I think that's why I'm so passionate about it and I'm also passionate about travel and travel as a really transformational experience, which is how Site talks about incentive travel. And I really believe...

Carina Bauer:

... site talks about incentive travel, and I really believe that to be true.

Scott Bloom:

What a great industry for you to get in with all the natural passions you have. What a great family business.

During your time leading IMAX Group, tell me something about the biggest success that you're most proud of. What are you most proud of working here with IMAX?

Carina Bauer:

I think probably pre-pandemic I would've said just building the shows into the events that they were, where they were really driving significant business and growth for the industry, and doing that on both continents was very special. That I think would be what I would say I would be most proud of.

I think post-pandemic, that's still important, but I think what I'm most proud of during the pandemic is just how we transformed ourselves, how we kept our team together, and how we really took the opportunities of the pandemic and the pause that we had to go through, whilst that was hard, we really took the opportunity to learn, to develop our skills, to learn about different areas of the industry, like virtual events, but also to develop our culture. And that's something that we are continuing to build upon and that's something now I would say, in the most challenging of times, I feel like we worked hard to learn from those challenges. That probably, looking back, will be the thing I'd be most proud of.

Scott Bloom:

All right. That's great. And we talked about there are people here who've heard of IMAX for years, there are people who are listening who've been there, why would you suggest someone definitely check out IMAX? And most of our listenership is probably here in the U.S. so they have time to go to the one in the fall, why should they go there? Why is IMAX so special?

Carina Bauer:

I think IMAX is special because it's the coming together of the whole global business events family. I mean that's really what it is. So if you are passionate about the industry or any aspect of it, coming to IMAX is like... People have said, "It kind of blew my mind," because the people you meet, the connections you make are transformational for either your business, for the events you're [inaudible 00:20:37] or for you personally. And what we do at IMAX is to really, like I say, bring together all those different sectors of the industry, but also to give great choice to people. So whatever your interest is, there will be something for you. And what we really try to do is build micro moments into this mega event so you can experience the show with your people, if you like. That's what makes it special because you can have those micro interactions and moments, but you can also be within this mega event and have that energy and opportunity to see the whole world in one place.

So I really think if you are in the industry and you haven't been, you really are missing a very significant moment each year when you can really be so effective and also have a lot of fun as well. So don't ever forget the fun, that's really important.

Scott Bloom:

It's all about the fun. And while you're there, you'll learn, you'll network, you'll connect with people. If I was to come this year, would I find you on the floor? Can I meet you?

Carina Bauer:

Absolutely.

Scott Bloom:

Do I have to get an appointment? I know you're a very busy person, but-

Carina Bauer:

Yeah. Well, obviously I have a very busy schedule but no, I mean, you find... So that's maybe the other thing that I should mention about why I think people find IMAX special because our whole team from Brighton are there on the floor. The people that you meet at the info counter, that's our finance team. The people that you meet in the hosted bar lounge, that's the hosted buyer team. Our team are there. They work the event. Myself, Ray, we are on the show floor for most of those three days. We are not hiding behind a screen. We want feedback, we speak to everybody, we want to know how it's going and what we try to do is make sure... It's like for us, because it's this family business, it's like we are hosting all 10,000 people or however many people come to our party or to our home, if you like, for those three days, so we don't shy away from that. We love the energy and we love meeting the whole industry on the show floor as well, and so do our team. It is a very special moment for everybody.

Scott Bloom:

Well, I am definitely going to try to make it out this year, and especially with my namesake I will drop the name Bloom as many times as I can, maybe get a little special treatment.

Carina Bauer:

Totally.

Scott Bloom:

Anyway, it was a pleasure to meet you, Karina. Thank you so much. I got to learn a little bit more about IMAX and I see it as definitely a destination for every event professional needs to go there. There's so much to learn and such a great experience, so thank you for taking the time.

Carina Bauer:

Thanks, Scott.

Speaker 1:

I think the biggest thing that I would say to event professionals entering the business today is to pace yourself. Hopefully you'll have a long career and you need to be strategic about what you do and for whom and when, and if you always have those goals in mind I think you'll be very successful.

In terms of the biggest takeaway from this year's IMAX event, I think that the exhibit, the presentation from Encore was provocative and made me really think about bigger issues around sustainability, and I very much enjoyed that.

Speaker 2:

Well, I think one of the biggest things that newbie event profs can do is to be clear about what their niche is going to be in the industry because we are all about meetings and business events, so I want you to first realize you need to know how to define that and see where you will land within it. And then seek out those who can help you through that journey and partner, and really understand what true partnership is as opposed to navigating on your own aimlessly, which is easy to do.

One of the biggest takeaways from IMAX I think this year is, again, that I think there's so many newbies and I think what we could probably do is do a better job of matching those who have been to IMAX throughout the years with the newbies to help them through the journey. Maybe allowing them to do tours with them and have a, as my partner in crime said, have a hub. But I think we also overall need to have a hub for conversations where we can take down time and it's open space where we can just choose to converse with each other and not have to be pressured to go to appointments all the time, that we really truly can build into our schedule rest time and relaxation time around thoughts and thought leadership.

Speaker 3:

For those event profs who are entering the business today, I would say align yourself with a mentor or someone who can first talk you off the ledge when you need it and also to be your VOR, your voice of reason, as well as someone who can guide you during these times and in this industry.

The biggest takeaway from this year's IMAX event is the need for spots, spaces, and hubs for first-timers that don't have a home, might not know anybody, and that need a spot where they can make connections, have the right conversations, and will basically give them that emotional support so that they can come back next year.

Speaker 4:

One tip I would recommend for people coming into this industry is to join a professional association. There are many of them, MPI, PCMA, [inaudible 00:26:48], lots of them, and get active in it. For me, that was one of the best ways to get involved in the industry. 80% of the volunteer business is done by 20% of the members. If you get involved with it, you can be working with the movers and shakers of the organization-

Speaker 4:

If you get involved with it, you can be working with the movers and shakers of the organization. And for me, that was one best professional routes to involve with that.

Speaker 5:

There's so many great takeaways here at IMEX. Really, I think the power of collaboration is huge. When you're collaborating, making sure that you take care of your own mental health and awareness so you can be fully present on the trade show floor in networking sessions to get the most out of each and every connection that you have in this precious time here at IMEX.

One tip I would give event professionals entering the industry today is the importance of self-care. That this is an industry that can suck the life out of you, but it doesn't have to be that way. That when you take the time to set light filled boundaries around the amount of time you give to the industry, and be sure to take those self-care breaks, whether it's a week off for vacation, a half day or four hour, no computer time, or even just a two minute walk out in nature. If you want to have success in this industry, you're going to make sure to take care of yourself so you can serve the clients that you plan events for.

Speaker 6:

This is my first IMEX, so it's overwhelming when you first walk in, which is amazing. And I think my biggest takeaway would be how great our industry is and how excited everyone is to come back right now. We've been in this crazy period of challenges over the last two years, and to see a crowd this size and to have this energy, I just think it's really exciting for our industry that everything is so crowded. Spaces are filling up and it makes it more challenging to get space, but at the same time, that's a great positive thing for our world.

One tip I would give anyone starting out in this business is network. Get yourself a network of people that you know in the industry, because that's one of the greatest things about it, is it's people. I think having a network of people that you can go to with silly questions about contracts, or space availability, or how to do a catering order, things like that. As you're growing and developing, the bigger your network, the better off you're going to end up.

Sania:

Hi, I'm Sania Paulo from ECO, North America, and my one tip for event professionals going into the business today would be to really start making right from scratch, meaningful connections and have a clear view and vision of what they want to achieve.

My biggest takeaway from the IMEX event would be the immersiveness of the experiences and reconnecting with friends, with some more meaning through diversity, equality, and inclusion.

Speaker 7:

One tip I would give about professionals who are entering the business today is to stay flexible. You're taking in a lot of knowledge. There's a lot of different things, and a lot of things are changing in the events industry constantly. You need to stay flexible and up-to-date on what the newest trends are, what new event technology is out there, and you need to be able to pivot quickly based on what your attendees are looking for.

My biggest takeaway from this year's IMEX event is there are a lot of event professionals that are having these same issues that I'm having. It's almost like a sense of security that we're all in this together. That really helps because as an event partner, you're constantly working on your own events. You feel a little bit more isolated. You feel like you have a lot of accountability and a lot of responsibilities, but there are a lot of outside factors that are affecting how well you can run your events.

And it's nice to get that perspective and understand where these issues are stemming from and how to move forward with them on your events. There's a lot of good advice in terms of just how to mitigate supply chain issues, sustainability issues, just anything in general.

Scott Bloom:

That's it for now. I've been your host, Scott Bloom, corporate event emcee and comedic keynote speaker, and of course your connoisseur of connections.

If you'd like more information, you can find me at scottbloomconnects.com, or you can book me directly for your next event on eSpeakers Marketplace at espeakers.com/marketplace.

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Thanks for listening. Now, go out and make your event a good one.