Against a backdrop of an industry now valued at $1.8 trillion in GDP*, the 2026 edition of IMEX Frankfurt closed today confirming its biggest show floor to date combined with strong buyer and exhibitor numbers.
Over the past week IMEX welcomed over 13,000 participants, including 4,500+ buyers—the majority of whom were hosted.
The show, which took place May 19-21 at Messe Frankfurt, saw close to 3,000 exhibiting companies, from destinations and venues to tech providers and event agencies, all representing the breadth of a future-focused global industry. Conversations on the show floor were proof of a shared ambition to meet face to face, understand current market forces and trends, and secure both long and short-term business.
A record-breaking 73,000 pre-scheduled meetings, including 63,500 one to ones, took place across the three days of the show—a welcome indicator of business momentum.
Talking about their experience as an exhibitor, Dr. Supawan Teerarat, President of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau explained: “We’ve secured a number of major events at the show, including the International Conference on Family Planning, which will bring 5,000 delegates to Pattaya in 2027. Other confirmed wins include a 1,000-person medical congress in 2029, a 1,000-person corporate meeting for an internet company in 2028, and a 6,000-person conference in the digital sector.”
Another exhibitor, Natalie Tenzer-Silva from Dana Tours, Mozambique added: “It’s Mozambique’s first time exhibiting at the show. I had many walk ups today with some very promising inquiries including one from a Portugal-based agency wanting to place an incentive for 90 people from the pharmaceutical sector. She’d done her research around our destination so we were able to talk specifics. It’s very promising!”
Economic and legacy impact
Alongside strong commercial outcomes, the show also spotlighted the evolving role of business events in driving wider economic and legacy impact. Discussions at the redeveloped Place Leaders Forum focused on the destination economy and the role of events as a strategic tool in placemaking and long-term economic growth—not just tourism.
More than 130 participants gathered from across the global meetings industry, representing over 60 destinations and venues, alongside policymakers from Angola, São Paulo, Reykjavik, Israel, Mexico and Mozambique.
At the show’s closing press conference earlier today IMEX CEO, Carina Bauer, concluded: “Beyond the numbers, the human element and energy of this community remain at the heart of IMEX. Although AI was a hot topic, the counterpoint is that face-to-face meetings are having a renaissance. More than ever their value lies in trusted, real-life conversations with real people who spark off each other, leading to multiple positive outcomes—not least business, friendship, employment and industry innovation.”
IMEX’s next show, IMEX America, takes place October 13 – 15
The full IMEX Frankfurt 2026 stats will be available next week
* EIC’s 2026 Global Economic Significance of Business Events Study
