It’s the meetings and events industry show of shows. The place to see and be seen.
Entering its 14th year, IMEX America is the Western Hemisphere edition of where the meetings industry gathers, with more than 15,000 attendees interacting with colleagues from throughout the world to form and solidify business relationships, discover the latest events trends and learn and be inspired by what is arguably the most robust educational content going.
Held October 7-9 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, with the professional development-focused Smart Monday, powered by MPI October 8, the 2025 version will undoubtedly generate similar enthusiasm and attendance numbers.
Following are some of the major new features of this year’s edition, which promises more than 150 educational sessions and inspiring speakers.
[Related: 2025 IMEX America Speaker Spotlight]
What’s New at IMEX America 2025
Carrying the theme “Impact 2.0, Activating the Future,” IMEX America 2025 will focus on how the industry can create positive change, and how its members can collaborate to achieve that goal by bringing together the communities within it.
“Clearly, we’re at a time where we need to really be thinking about what our future looks like, and if we’re talking about impact, what are the actions that we can take to continue to have impact that’s meaningful?” asked IMEX Head of Programming Tahira Endean, who is also a Meetings Today 2025 Meetings Trendsetter. “We’ve got some really good case studies coming from different parts of the world and some good thought-starters and different ways of looking at things.”
The overriding theme of community will be reflected in a new educational track that aims to build industry cohesion in myriad ways.
“We added the Community Track and building out leadership and culture because I think that community and leadership and culture are intertwined,” Endean said. “It’s really just leaning into peoples’ need for belonging right now, and really looking at the people who are crafting the environments and the stories that can support people in those community journeys.”
[Related: The 2025 Meetings Trendsetters Stoking the Fire in the Events Industry]
Endean added that a Community Table will be set up for attendees to informally socialize and share stories and information.
Other community highlights in the Inspiration Hub include sessions led by meetings professional network Club Ichi as well as Ferdinando Buscema, a futurist, magician and event experience designer with clients that have included Ferrari, who will present on the alchemy of event design.
“He’ll do magical conversations at the Community Table where he can’t help himself from providing magic tricks and illusions,” Endean offered.
Another new program is being launched outside of the cacophony of the show floor by a second 2025 Meetings Trendsetter, David T. Stevens from Olympian Meeting, who created the Circadian Cove, a three-day wellness offering based on human circadian rhythms.
“In the morning there’s more active fitness, in the afternoon there’s gentler sessions with lots of really good information, and that’s going to be right beside the Resilience Room [wellness area presented by Hello! DMC],” Endean said. “The Resilience Room is really meant for people who are introverts, or with neurodivergencies, if they just need to go somewhere and put on a headset and just be quiet for a while.”
And for those looking to break away from the cacophony of the show for some fun, check out Brent Bushnell’s Playtime pop-up in Inspiration Hub. Pac-Man for 20 people? Brent’s your guy.
IMEX Learning Tracks
While IMEX is set to reveal its full education program in September after our publication date, we do know the 2025 edition of IMEX America is set to offer nine tracks, including two new educational tracks.
New for 2025 will be:
Community Builders
Media and events entrepreneur David Adler, who calls himself a “lifelong student of human connection,” will present “A Gathering Point Forum of Community Builders.” “We’re in the goosebumps business,” he said in materials describing the session. “When orchestrated properly, great events don’t just fill seats. They raise heart rates. They spark unexpected conversations.”
Events professional and award-winning speaker Andrea Driessen, who created the Gracenotes affirmation philosophy, will offer “Messages of Mattering: Harness Gracenotes for More Impact, Meaning and Purpose.”
[Related: 2025 IMEX America Speaker Spotlight]
Leadership and Culture
Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group Chief Show Operations Officer Duncan Fisher, who oversees all of the iconic circus arts company’s shows, will stage “How to Run Your Global Business Like a Circus.” In describing the presentation, Fisher offered the following: “In my experience, the circus is a place that runs like clockwork—operated by a team of people from countless nations, speaking different languages, with different backgrounds—and who literally trust each other with their lives.”
Dr. Ferron Gray, president and founder of the Grae Matta Foundation, is a mental health services expert who will present “How to Lead With Impact in Extreme Times,” which will share wisdom from the recent IMEX report of the same name. “Resilience isn’t built during calm times—it’s shaped by how you respond when things go sideways,” he explained.
The other education tracks and IMEX’s descriptions of them are the following:
- Event Logistics, from budgeting and pre-registration to F&B and contracting
- Experiential Event Design, which includes expert guidance on neuroinclusion, unconscious bias, sober-curious events, sports events, festivals, transformational experiences and mor
Dr. Ferron Gray - Impact, which covers ESG (environmental, social and governance), CSR and net zero, plus powerful, personal impact stories and ideas
- Marketing and Engagement, the communication, persuasion and sales skills to convert audience reach into real engagement
- Tech Innovation and AI, which promises all the tech advances in one place with sessions for AI beginners plus sessions for more experienced users
- Trends and Research, which will help attendees get future ready with information on the big market shifts plus micro-learnings about personas, generations and personality types
- Well-Being: Where Personalization Is Key, covering social health, psychological safety and attendee anxiety
Level Up Your LinkedIn With Richard Bliss!
If there’s one thing Richard Bliss, CEO and founder of BlissPoint Consulting, a 2025 Meetings Trendsetter and a LinkedIn Top Voices Influencer, has learned after hosting technology conferences around the world, it’s that people often misunderstand how to use one of the most powerful tools in the industry: LinkedIn.
The first step to success on the social media platform is to polish and perfect your professional profile! Fear not, as Bliss and Meetings Today have you covered! Polish Your LinkedIn Profile Via a FREE Consultation at IMEX America!
Sign up for your chance to book a private 10-minute LinkedIn consultation with the legend himself! Sessions will take place in the morning on Tuesday, October 7 at the Meetings Today Booth. Secure your spot now by clicking the QR code to the right!
Dare to Interrupt’s Courtney Stanley Taping Live!
Courtney Stanley, who broadcasts her Dare to Interrupt events industry women’s empowerment podcast on MeetingsToday.com, will tape her October episode from the floor of IMEX America.
Titled Dare to Interrupt LIVE: Bold Conversations. Brave Leadership, Stanley will be joined by Yush Sztalkoper, Precious Williams and Sheila Vijeyarasa to explore how confidence, visibility and authenticity can take center stage, from navigating career challenges and leading with courage to advancing neuroinclusion, belonging and communication.
The taping will take place during Smart Monday, October 6, from 9:30-10:30 a.m.
[Related: Listen to Courtney Stanley's Dare to Interrupt Podcast]
