IMEX AMERICA'S LEARNING PROGRAM SHINES LIGHT ON COMMUNITY AND LEADERSHIP (United States)

Tahira Endean, Head of Program at IMEX
Photo credit © IMEX

IMEX learning tracks

NEW—Community builders:

• Media entrepreneur and a “lifelong student of human connection”, David Adler is guaranteed to spark a lively discussion in his session: A Gathering Point forum of community builders. “We’re in the goosebumps business,” he says. “When orchestrated properly, great events don’t just fill seats. They raise heart rates. They spark unexpected conversations.”
• In a world where almost half of workers feel undervalued, award-winning entrepreneur Andrea Driessen has the solution: Gracenotes. She calls this a: “Swiss Army knife for modern life that moves us from invisible to invaluable. When we feel we matter we feel seen, important and needed.” Andrea has a series of sessions at the show including: Messages of mattering: harness Gracenotes for more impact, meaning and purpose.

NEW—Leadership and culture:

• “I really did run away from home to join the circus!” says Duncan Fisher, Chief Show Operations Officer at Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group. He oversees all of Cirque du Soleil’s shows, with a team of 3,200 people who perform around the world. He explains the ethos behind his session: How to run your global business like a circus. “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 & Founder of the Grae Matta Foundation, has made it his life mission to improve access to mental health services within the workplace and higher education. In his session How to lead with impact in extreme times, he'll delve into some of the wisdom he shared in IMEX’s recent report of the same name. Ferron’s advice for leaders? “Resilience isn’t built during calm times—it’s shaped by how you respond when things go sideways.”

The other education tracks are:

• Event logistics: from budgeting and pre-registration to F&B and contracting
• Experiential event design: includes expert guidance on neuro-inclusion, unconscious bias, sober-curious events, sports events, festivals, transformational experiences and more
• Impact: 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: all the tech advances in one place with sessions for AI beginners plus sessions for more experienced users
• Trends and research: 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

Education session at IMEX America
Photo credit © IMEX