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• Mrs Carina Bauer of Regent Exhibitions Ltd - Imex 07/05/2012
  

  It takes time to test new tools and processes - and to get them right - so we appreciate the feedback we’re getting and we do listen and take it on board.
  
  However, your comments also make us realise that perhaps we’ve not communicated just how versatile the online messaging and appointment system really is.
  
  For example, exhibitors have the option to filter their search for hosted buyers by 10 different criteria. ‘Targeting everybody’ is no targeting at all and we certainly don’t condone or encourage this, so if we are missing criteria that exhibitors would find useful, please let us know. Also, the system has been set up to ensure that exhibitors must make a selection in some way and cannot blanket email the entire list. New for 2012 - exhibitors can also choose to exclude buyers they have already contacted, and buyers they already have appointments with.
  
  We realize this is a lot to take on board, so we’ve developed a series of webinars, plus 5 separate 2-minute training videos for exhibitors covering all aspects of selecting and communicating with buyers, including ‘Refining your list of buyers’. These training videos have been viewed over 1,500 times since April 10th.
  
  Equally, for hosted buyers, the new IMEX inbox offers several new, user-friendly filter options, including “view messages only from exhibitors I have made an appointment with”.
  
  We understand that all these improvements take time to get used to – and for their full value to be realised. We are always very pleased to hear the views of those who are using them so that we can improve them further and encourage anyone with a query to contact us direct so that we can give you the support you need to get the results you want.
  
  

• Mr Jean-Pierre Cornelis of Borealis Incentives Belgium 02/05/2012
  

  I've had the same problem; as a hosted buyer I quickly filled in all the appointments I needed or wanted weeks ago, and my agenda is full for the 2 days, leaving me just 1/2 hour of free time each day.
  However I have been inundated with 100-s of RfA since then, and as I have no time to respond to each one individually, just because they seem to be so randomly mailed out, I have also decided to delete all of them.
  Although I did fill in the areas I am interested in, I do get emailed by everybody else too.
  There should be a filter which weeds out the ones we don't want...

• Mr Goran Pavlovic of Opatija Tourism Office 02/05/2012
  

  I understand that buyers are flooded with exhibitor emails. However, the only way we can reach them is through the website mailing system, which doesn't allow much possibility to personalise messages nor to narrow selection.
  Since most buyers have noted an interest in almost every region, when I add filters for my destination I usually get a list of over 1,000 names. Before, we could extract data in an excel file and narrow selection, personalise the email, etc. Now everything is done via the website and all you can do is create a message, add a meeting request link and hope that your subject will attract someone's attention. Unfortunately 10-15 per cent of messages immediately end up tagged as spam and you're lucky if you get a couple of meetings.
  I'm glad that IMEX is trying to help buyers, but it would also be great if they would think about exhibitors, too, and ensure that we have at least half our meeting schedule full since we have to pay for our exhibition space.

• Mr Sanjay Malhotra of Mintcentive 01/05/2012
  

  It is a big problem for exhibitors also, because the selection procedure for buyers is not very specific and after the broad selection it is almost impossible to go through the list and select buyers in the absence of any details of that buyer. Till some years back IMEX used to provide websites and email IDs. That was much easier because as an exhibitor, one does not want to send unnecessary mails which are either deleted, not read or go into the spam box. I know it may be a little problematic in sharing the email IDs but I am sure it will still be better then receiving 700 plus mails...at least if an exhibitor after a couple of mails finds out that a buyer is not interested and not responding or is not the profile of what he is looking for, he will stop sending the mails, unless of course he or she has a lot of free time at their disposal. Regards...Sanjay

• Mr Matthew Weight of Inside Track 01/05/2012
  

  I am gutted, I only got 613 emails, what have I done to upset the other 100? Seriously though, the fact that so many of the emails are rubbish, makes it easier and less time consuming to filter and only reply or respond to the good ones.

• Mr David Hackett of Meetings Guru Ltd 28/04/2012
  

  Since confirming my attendance at IMEX I, too, have been inundated with communications from exhibitors.
  Not one of them has been personalised [ Dear David or Dear Mr Hackett]; many don't have a subject; and the majority lack a call to action.
  This is the equivalent of blanket bombing - lots of costly action but without targeting or direction.
  Perhaps it gives the emailer a comfort blanket that they can demonstrate activity but my response is a blanket 'no' to all such misguided communications.
  Write to me by name and I will believe you mght be genuinely interested to initiate a meeting;send me a generic mailing and you haven't even started the process of engagement.

• Mr Nigel Cooper of Motivcom PLC 26/04/2012
  

  I'm glad to see IMEX taking positive and proactive action to combat this issue. This year there has been a sudden explosion in email traffic and it has the potential to tarnish the highly professional organisational reputation associated with this extremely successful show. I have not personally kept count of the total number of invitations to make an appointment, but it has got to the stage where I automatically delete without reading anything with IMEX or Appointment in the title - there are 48 in my deleted folder today so far. I think a lot of people will appreciate the new system. Thank you, Carina.

• Mr Hugo Ponsonby Smythe of PS Taker Ltd 26/04/2012
  

  Could somebody please develop one for Wyboston Lakes and Lane End Conference Centre as well? It might not be as many as 746 in 10 days but it is an awful lot. And those venues, please don't moan, I've just given you a bit of publicity....