The inaugural IMEX America trade show, which took place in Las Vegas last week, has been declared a success after welcoming more than 2,000 hosted buyers.

IMEX group chairman, Ray Bloom, said the show brought a ‘fresh dimension’ to the US events industry. Speaking at the show’s closing ceremony, he said: “We have successfully delivered a new, collaborative business model, which is not a US trade show in Las Vegas but a truly global marketplace in America plus a tremendous education programme.”

Bloom added that 53 per cent of hosted buyers attending the show at The Sands Expo and Convention Center had budgets in excess of $1m. Nearly 2,000 exhibitors were present and more than 30,000 appointments were made before and during the show.

He gave one example of the SECC (Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre), whose team were delighted to receive a booking for a 12,000 delegate event from a buyer who simply arrived on the day without an appointment looking to place the event outside of the US for the first time.

Many of the Las Vegas partners were said to have particularly remarked upon the quality of association meeting buyers present at the show’s Association Day, organised by ICCA and ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership.

The IMEX App was downloaded by 2050 people, while RFID badging technology was used for the first time. “We will definitely be using this new insight to develop and refine the show in 2012,” said Bloom.