Following last year’s triumph at the British exhibition industry’s prestigious Annual Awards, organisers of IMEX, a leading exhibition for the global meetings, incentive travel and events industry, are now celebrating a second prominent win. 

IMEX was declared ‘Best Trade Show’ at the 2006 AEO (Association of Exhibition Organisers) Excellence Awards luncheon held in London recently in a highly competitive category, which is open to several thousand potential exhibitions and other events from around the world.

Speaking about the strength of the competition for the award, AEO Chairman, Trevor Foley, said, “The AEO Awards matter - as testified by the number of entries and the disappointment expressed by those who don’t win!  The number of events that could win this award totals nearly 2,000.”

Exhibitions entering for the ‘Best Trade Show’ award have to be able to demonstrate success to the judges over a two-stage process – the second stage being face-to-face.  The criteria include proving that the show’s objectives were met and that the results were backed up by exhibitor and visitor testimonies.

Foley went on to say, "These awards matter BIG time! Receiving a 'best show' award in front of 1,300 of your industry peers is worth its weight in gold. If any further proof is needed, the sense of deflation felt by those who do not get the winner’s 'gong' is immense!"

A total of 15 different Industry Exhibition Awards are made each year by the AEO which is the voice of the UK’s £9.3 billion exhibition industry and is also increasingly influential around the globe. The AEO preaches high standards and professionalism in the exhibition and event industry. These awards are designed to reward its best practitioners.

IMEX Chairman, Ray Bloom, expressed his delight at the award and paid tribute to the talented team behind the exhibition. He said, “We set out with big ambitions for IMEX when we launched four years ago and this award is testament to the work that’s gone into trying to fulfil those. However, IMEX’s strength depends just as much on the commitment and professionalism of our partners – the world’s leading trade associations, the German Convention Bureau and our New Vision Partners – as it is does on our industry vision."

“I’m enormously pleased to accept this award on behalf of all those who play their part, not just for four days at Frankfurt each year, but consistently throughout the year.”

This year 3,300 companies representing 150 countries exhibited at IMEX, which also welcomed 3,412 hosted-buyers together with more than 4,000 trade visitors.