IMEX America is well underway at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, and four Meetings Today reporters–Tyler Davidson, Rob Carey, Taylor Smith and Jeff Heilman–are on the ground covering the educational sessions, exhibit-hall happenings, social events and other elements of North America’s biggest meetings-industry show.
Each day, the team delivers useful insights based on what they’re seeing and hearing around the show.
Here’s what our editors took away from day two of IMEX America:
Tyler Davidson, Vice President & Chief Content Director
- PCMA to Launch Two Education Offerings: PCMA’s press conference detailed a number of happenings at the association. PCMA Institute, formerly Event Leadership Institute, will offer two new education offerings in early 2026. The Executive Leadership Fellowship, described as a “mini-MBA style program,” is designed for directors, vice presidents and senior leaders with 10-plus years of experience and C-suite aspirations. The six- to nine-month program will focus on applied learning through case studies and collaborative working sessions, with only 25 participants selected for the inaugural cohort. The second new educational program, the Business Events Strategist (BES) Certification, is designed for professionals with more than seven years of experience and is the first designation recognizing strategic excellence beyond traditional CMP/CMM credentials. Both programs will launch at Convening Leaders 2026 in Philadelphia. “These programs reflect PCMA’s commitment to empower the global business events community with the tools, insights, and recognition to lead with purpose, confidence and strategic vision,” said PCMA President & CEO Sherrif Karamat. “We are investing in the leaders who will shape the future of business events and redefine what meaningful impact looks like across industries and societies.”
LA Convention Center future vision. PCMA Spark(les): PCMA also said its Spark AI artificial intelligence platform for meeting and event planners has hit 13,000 members, according to Karmat, who also detailed the association’s new Destination venue selection AI software. Neil Brownlee, head of business events at VisitScotland and chair of the 2025 PCMA Board of Directors and Trustees, added that the budgets of meeting and event planners appear to be on the increase.
- L.A. on the Ascent: Adam Burke, president and CEO of Discover Los Angeles, filled Meetings Today in on the progress of the Los Angeles Convention Center expansion, which broke ground in early October. Burke said that 80% to 85% of the facility will be complete–with the exterior being fully complete, before the 2028 Olympics. The facility is already booking from 2029 out. Because of the layout of the project, groups already scheduled to meet before the opening will be accommodated at the facility and in outside venues, if needed. The convention center expansion and modernization coincides with a $15 billion renovation of Los Angeles International Airport that will modernize the facility and greatly alleviate the traffic congestion in its “horseshoe” roadway linking its terminals.
- Join the Fight Against Human Trafficking: Three meetings and hospitality industry giants, Maritz, Marriott and Hilton, have stepped up to the plate to form the Fight Against Human Trafficking Coalition, which will provide a wealth of resources and training to combat this travel industry scourge. Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson sat down with Marriott’s Gail Frazer, Maritz' Amy Kramer and Hilton’s Kearstin Puricelli to record a podcast about this global travel industry dilemma and explore the coalition's remedies to fight it.
[Related Podcast: Meetings Industry Giants Join to Fight Human Trafficking]
Rob Carey, Content Manager, News & Features
Say Goodbye, Doom Loop: “The era of [social media] ‘doom scrolling’ and brain rot has set the stage for a renaissance of storytelling.” So said Jess Weickert, vice president of strategy for XD Agency, in a session titled “Designing Transformative Experiences Through Storytelling.” Mat Duerden, author of the event-planning book Designing Experiences, added that in business settings, “stories should revolve around a main character having some type of need along with complications that hinder the character from fulfilling that need. The insight that comes from how the character handles those complications is the crux of the story.” And after the audience hears such a story, “deepen their memory through the power of reflection,” Weickert advised. By providing opportunities for attendees to discuss their perspectives and emotions related to the story, their memory of it becomes sticky, Duerden added.
Liz Irving and Ken Madden chat with Dahlia El-Gazzar during the attendee-personalization session. Credit: Rob Carey. - White Space Is Good: “Personalization of events is hard to do at scale; instead, identify the core audiences within your event and personalize the experience for each one.” This, according to Liz Irving, CEO of Clarion Events North America, during a session on the possibilities and limitations of attendee personalization. Ken Madden, global head of technology and innovation for George P. Johnson Experience Marketing, added that “attendee conversations are more important than data and badge scans. There has to be room for serendipity at events.” How to make sure serendipity happens for attendees? “Stop overprogramming your agenda,” Irving said. “People need time and space to talk to each other.”
- Gen Z Engagement Strategies: Want to get your Gen Z attendees more engaged during in-person events? “Activations where they can help contribute to the content are effective,” said Madeleine Bart, vice president of global brand & direct customer marketing for AV and production firm Encore, during a session titled “Today’s Formula for Audience Engagement.” One example she gave: Ask young attendees to help in the creation of AI-generated songs related to event themes and topics. Given that there are now more Gen Z employees in the U.S. workforce than over-50 employees, such activations must become more common.
Fresh F&B Tips: When it comes to food and beverage at convention centers, “we’re using more grab-and-go stations so people can browse a bit rather than just order at a concession stand,” said Anna Nash, senior vice president of market development for Legends Global, which operates more than 80 convention centers around the country in addition to sports arenas. “Also, attendees want access to brands that reflect the destination they’re in so they can experience some local flavor even while they’re inside the center.” Two other F&B elements that Legends Global is keen on: Bringing in specialized food-preparation equipment such as brick ovens so that event organizers, exhibitors and sponsors can give attendees a more interesting F&B experience; and using food trucks on the perimeter of the exhibit hall to offer local specialties and greater variety.
[Related: IMEX America 2025: All of Our Event Coverage in One Place]
Taylor Smith, Content Manager, Destinations
- Destinations International’s Deep Dive Into Food Recovery and Redistribution: During the Destinations International (DI) press conference Wednesday morning, Gretchen Hall, chief operating officer at DI, presented key findings and takeaways from the just-released Destination Guide to Food Recovery and Redistribution at Events, which aims to offer a roadmap for embedding food recovery into event strategy for not only destination organizations, but also event and meeting planners. “The report also created five strategies for food recovery and how to implement these strategies,” Hall said. “Basically, in short, it comes down to planning early. Start with your site visits, your RFPs and include it in all of your logistical efforts. Leverage local partners, including nonprofits, food banks and community groups. Engage and educate. So, at active compost and recycling stations, train the staff and involve attendees in this process, measure and report, track those outcomes and require supplier reporting, and promote the impact. Share the results widely with the media, attendees…The collaboration between planners and DMOS is essential. It aligns goals up front, links to local networks and jointly measures to share the impact of both community benefit and event success.”
Focused on the Future: More than 100 students considering a career in the meetings industry attended the IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum, a two-day program for students entering their final year of a hospitality, event or tourism management course. The free opportunity allows future leaders the chance to gain expert insight into the meetings industry, learning from and connecting with inspirational industry experts and fellow students. Following an hour and a half of roundtable discussions with 10 industry professionals, students reflected on what they learned. The biggest takeaway? Be authentic and true to who you are, and know you’re just as deserving of a seat at the table as anyone else.
Wizard of Oz at the Sphere. Credit: Taylor Smith. - The Wow-Worthy Wizard of Oz at the Sphere: One of Las Vegas’ hottest new attractions, the Sphere continues to draw crowds who can’t help but “ooo” and “ahh” at its 160,000-square-foot interior display plane, enveloping the crowd in a fully immersive visual environment. Currently, the Sphere is giving guests the opportunity to follow the yellow brick road with Dorothy and her friends in The Wizard of Oz at Sphere, a cinematic experience that turns the iconic 1939 movie into an immersive, technologically advanced 4D experience. The film’s original score was even re-recorded to better take advantage of Sphere Immersive Sound’s 167,000 programmable speakers.
Jeff Heilman, Senior Contributor
- "State of the Industry: Intention to Action:" Building on conversations from IMEX Frankfurt earlier this year, former UFI CEO Kai Hattendorf, IMEX CEO Karina Bauer, Cvent CEO Reggie Aggarwal, and DMC Network Managing Director Aoife Delaney weighed in on topics including how the rapid acceleration of AI is impacting and shaping the future of events, and ensuring that people remain the focus of events.
- AI Adoption: Aggarwal focused attention on the rapid adoption of Agentic AI, which surpasses Generative AI by autonomously learning and executing tasks, as the spearhead of AI’s evolution. All agreed that AI should enhance, but not replace, human connections. The most effective AI implementation in events focuses on automating processes and administrative tasks to enhance efficiency and ROI while freeing up more time for human-to-human interactions. Looking ahead, the speakers expressed optimism about the event industry's future, with Agentic AI poised to revolutionize workflows and attendee experiences. However, the proper balance between technological innovation and human-centric experiences remains the cornerstone of effective meetings.
- Automation with AI: The speakers also discussed how AI enhances event personalization, citing tools like mobile app recommendations and CRM integration that optimize schedules, streamline lead management, and allow participants to personalize their own journeys while fulfilling exhibitor commitments. Event organizers are moving away from traditional large-scale activities to offering multiple smaller, interest-based options. This approach allows attendees to self-select into experiences that match their preferences while enabling sponsors to connect with more targeted audiences.
- Sustainability and accessibility: Once at the peak of the hype cycle, remain critical priorities. The speakers emphasized embedding these principles into event design to ensure inclusivity and environmental responsibility. Geopolitical challenges, such as visa complexities and adverse weather events like the Icelandic volcano eruption, were acknowledged as factors requiring adaptive planning. Despite these hurdles, they underscored the resilience of the events industry.
