A strong debut from IMEX America last year has resulted in significant increases from exhibitors and buyers for the award-winning trade show this coming 9 – 11 October at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas.

Of contracts so far received, 20% of those who exhibited at the first show are returning with even bigger booths. Of these, 50% of exhibitors have more than doubled the space they will be taking at the show.

In addition, and another sign that the show has captured both the imagination and the business appetite of the international meetings, incentive travel and events market, almost 40 new booths are set to join the line-up so far at IMEX America, with more expected in the next two months. Of the 40 to-date many are new US suppliers and destinations, while the space increases have been seen from right across the world. Hotel groups have also responded strongly meaning that the hotel section of the trade show floor will also be noticeably bigger and more varied this fall.

Among the hotel and resort groups doubling their booth sizes will be Auberge Resorts, Destination Hotels & Resorts, Iberostar, Loews, Mandarin Oriental, Peabody, Rosen and Wynn Las Vegas. Other hotel groups including Fairmont Raffles Swissotel, Four Seasons, Hyatt, IHG, Leading Hotels of the World, Melia, Morgans, NH Hoteles, Preferred, Sofitel, Starwood and Wyndham have also increased their booth space. New hotel exhibitors will include Trump Hotels, KSL Resorts and Peninsula.

New US destinations represented on the show floor will be Charlotte, Indianapolis, Jackson Hole, Long Beach, Myrtle Beach, Nashville, Seattle, Sedona, the US Virgin Islands and Yosemite Gold Country. IMEX America will also feature a dedicated ‘California’ section which will showcase San Diego, San Francisco and new exhibitors Long Beach, Santa Monica and Beverley Hills. Meanwhile, global destinations new to the show include Abu Dhabi, El Salvador, Honduras, Peru and Madrid. The technology section of the show is also set to expand with new exhibitors including etouches, Showcare Event Management and SignUp4.

In announcing today’s figures, IMEX Group Chairman, Ray Bloom, declared that the show’s hallmark hosted buyer program will also be larger this year with well over 2,000 buyers expected.

Much of this growth has been achieved through IMEX America partners and intermediaries who want to bring larger hosted buyer groups following positive feedback from their clients after last year’s event. Dozens of new hosted buyer groups have now been confirmed. Among others they currently include buyers invited by: Buyers Networking Club, Carnival Corporation, Loews Hotels, the MGM Group, the Religious Conventions Management Association, Sofitel Luxury Hotels, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Brazil, US Motivation and Yosemite Gold Country.

Bloom commented: “We were delighted with the positive response we received after last year’s debut IMEX America; it was clear the show produced the business results both exhibitors and buyers were looking for. It is gratifying to see that feedback now being converted into increased participation on both sides, which bodes well for an even stronger IMEX America this October… and we’ve still got over three months to go.”