The Executive Meeting Forum at IMEX America is an invitation only program designed for senior, corporate executives who manage meetings and events programs or departments. The Executive Meeting Forum will explore and challenge industry norms and current ways of doing business as well as provide actual examples of best in class corporate meetings and events practices and innovations. The program is designed for participants to engage in provocative, forward thinking discussion, as well as produce actionable strategies. Both will have a significant effect on their own corporation as well as a ripple effect across the industry.

Recognizing that companies hold meetings in order to find ways to make their organizations more productive and profitable, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is pleased to sponsor and support the Executive Meeting Forum program at IMEX America. The Ritz-Carlton remains heavily vested in the meetings business and as the largest global provider of luxury meetings accommodations, remains committed to both promoting the ROI on meetings and enhancing the overall meeting experience.

The Executive Meeting Forum is “an event within an event’. In addition to the education program, participants will also be invited to participate in informal, closed networking and discussion opportunities to share their expertise and knowledge with each other for the benefit of their organizations. Attendance will be limited to a small group of participants who commit to the program over a two day period.

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Part One, Tuesday October 11

Following an informal get together for introductions the evening before, part one is designed to challenge conventional wisdom about meetings and events, today and in the future. Ground breaking industry research will serve as a springboard for discussion, including insights drawn from other sectors of business around the world which impact meetings and events. Participants will be engaged to not just react to inevitable changes about to occur but to design an innovative path to anticipate and benefit from those changes.

Part Two, Wednesday October 12

The continuation of the program is a working and benchmarking session designed to take advantage of the current state of meetings and events programs and create actionable strategies for specific improvements and innovations discussed in Part one. We will cover the design, execution and measurement of meetings and events and examine key drivers and actions of best in class programs across top corporations worldwide. Senior leaders in travel and meetings who direct the future of their meetings program will be interviewed in advance, and participants will leave with their own clear, confidential assessment of their program across multiple dimensions.

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The Facilitators

The program is being designed and led by recognized industry experts Terri Breining and Kimberly Meyer in conjunction with senior executive and academic support. View their bios and contact information here

      Kimberly Meyer            Terri Breining

The IMEX Group

The value and benefits of meetings and events are now being held to account in unprecedented ways. The IMEX Group is committed to industry advancement, and is proud to support key individuals who are shaping their organizations direction in meetings and events under new economic, political and financial realities.

The Executive Meeting Forum is a sister event to the Meetings for Success Forum which takes place at IMEX in Frankfurt each May. More information on the Meetings for Success Forum at IMEX in Frankfurt.

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“FACE TIME. It Matters” is a grassroots industry campaign theme designed to promote the benefits of meeting face-to-face. The campaign was developed in response to one of the most challenging years ever faced by the meeting, convention and exhibition industries. It was based on the findings of a recent national survey of corporate and association meeting planners, plus in-depth personal interviews with the industry’s leading executives as well as focus groups consisting of corporate and association executives, business travellers and professional meeting planners.

Related Study: Economic Significance of Meetings to US Economy study

Maritz: Rather than rely on personal preferences or currently popular approaches, the decision regarding what type of meeting to run will have a direct impact on the effectiveness of your meeting. This paper examines those science-based decision criteria to help executives determine when face-to-face is the most effective approach to large-group meetings or events. The research presented in this paper authored by Christine Duffy, president and CEO of Maritz Travel, and Mary Beth McEuen, vice president and executive director, The Maritz Institute, provides direction for determining when an investment in large-group face-to-face meetings and events will have the greatest impact.

Study: The Future of Meetings: The Case for Face-to-Face

Ben Stein on CBS News: Don't blame the business trip - As you've heard, President Obama has spent some time on the job travelling around the world. But it's a different sort of business travel that's on Ben Stein's mind.

Meetings Industry Crisis Center: powered by MPI this site is regularly updated with timely knowledge and content and is committed to keeping the industry connected to the latest information and resources to ensure you survive and thrive. MPI is also running a Meetings Matter webinar series.

Site Global: a resource center featuring the most up-to-date news articles and video clips; the latest press releases and information from the Meetings Mean Business campaign; a Motivation Meter and the Keep America Meetings Campaign Toolkit.

Eventia has launched a white paper to communicate the benefits and financial returns that can be yielded by companies investing in live events. The white paper will be used by Eventia and its members to raise awareness of the effectiveness of events in the UK national and international press and when communicating directly to corporate companies. Spelling out the clear case for the industry to support the Visit Britain campaign, ‘Keep Britain Talking’, the paper outlines key statistics and opinion.

Download the white paper.