.jpg?n=5650&tr=w-345%2Ch-173%2Cfo-auto "All About IMEX")
All About IMEX
Learn about all that's available for event planners, plan your education and networking and review other insights by visiting Northstar Meetings Group's
IMEX America Event Hub.
Knowledge is helpful in any career — and at IMEX America, the robust education program has become an increasingly important part of the experience for many attendees, according to Tahira Endean, head of programming at IMEX.
Education is increasingly influential on attendance, with Explori’s survey of last year’s edition showing that two in five attendees reported that the education was ‘fairly’ or ‘very’ influential in their decision to attend.
The greater interest in education is driven in part by increased demands on MICE professionals, she explained.
“Event professionals are being asked to do more than ever before,” Endean said. “They’re expected to embrace new technologies, respond to changing participant expectations, demonstrate impact — and all with limited resources and budget. That’s the thinking behind this year’s education program. Every track is designed to help event professionals address the realities of event life and support their face-to-face business meetings with exhibitors across the show floor.”
This year’s program features 12 education tracks, including five new tracks — all of which are inspired by IMEX’s 2026/2027 Talking Point, Design Matters. As always, professional education is free for all IMEX America participants, with additional specialist programming during Smart Monday, powered by MPI, and many sessions offering credit toward CMP, CSEP and ICCASkills credentials.
Education for Real Life
This year’s program is also built around what IMEX calls the “realities of event life,” which can produce additional challenges for MICE professionals.
Endean noted, for example, that expectations have risen while modestly growing budgets have failed to keep up with soaring costs. At the same time, stakeholders must address priorities like sustainability and other issues.
“We have a lot of realities,” she said. “How are we repopulating our industry? What are we doing about our mental health? All of those things — and the reality of budgets and contracts — are changing.”
The 2026 program was created with all that in mind, according to Endean. New tracks include Designing for Human Needs, Design for Spectacle, Design Matters, Regenerative Design and Tech Enabled Futures, while popular returning subjects include advanced event logistics, health and well-being, impact, experiential event design, leadership and culture, marketing and engagement and trends and research.
As an example of the value of these diverse topics, Endean pointed to a session titled Designing for Human Needs, which addresses accessibility, neurodivergence, psychological safety, belonging, mobility and sensory needs.
Technology is another important topic in the education program. “We have five incredible professional speakers who are delving into how we are humanizing in the age of AI,” she said.
“This is what they do every day: teach people how to sell better. And now they’re teaching people how to sell better and humanize in the age of AI.”
Career Development and Personal Well-Being
It’s only logical that events are better when professionals are healthier — and the IMEX America education program addresses personal well-being in a number of ways.
“We have lots of sessions about joy and some really incredible speakers on joy and joyfulness and how we bring all of that back into our life,” Endean said.
She encouraged attendees to take advantage of these sessions, especially given the nature of many people working in the MICE segment. “We are an industry that is terrible at putting ourselves first,” Endean said. “Event organizers are the ultimate service-minded people.”
Well-being components extend beyond the formal sessions. Attendees will find dedicated spaces including the Resilience Room, which offers a quiet oasis away from the bustling show floor, and the expanded Circadian Cove RX, which this year is staffed with two physicians.
“There are also nooks and Zen pods and lounges throughout the show floor where people can just go and have a little quiet time,” Endean added. “We encourage people to take time to rest and reflect and regroup before you go back to doing the work that has to be done with the meetings.”
Making Time for Education
IMEX America is an action-packed trade show, with lots of elements competing for the time of attendees. Endean offers simple advice to ensure no one misses out on the educational opportunities.
“Plan your education in advance”, she said.“Don’t miss out on something that’s probably going to change your life and the way that you think.”
To make it easy for attendees to find the educational tracks and sessions that are of the greatest interest and usefulness, the online program allows users to search by broader tracks as well as more specific topic tags.
At its heart, the IMEX America education program is a meaningful way to bring people together, to share and to learn, according to Endean.
“At a time when change is constant, there’s real value in coming together in person,” she said. “IRL events create the space to share ideas, find common ground and solve problems collectively.”
Learn more about IMEX America here.