How IMEX Turned Consistent Event Data into a Strategic Planning Engine | Explori

THE CHALLENGE

Data they couldn’t trust

When Gary Coombs joined IMEX as COO, the organisation was already collecting post-event survey data. The problem wasn’t absence of data, it was reliability.

The data hadn’t been captured in a structured or consistent way. There was no methodology that could be relied upon to connect a change made to the show with an outcome in the numbers. Reports were built reactively, when someone asked for them, rather than available continuously as a planning tool.

Internally, the technology stack had accumulated workarounds upon workarounds. People were working inefficiently, and the systems that were supposed to enable the team were instead blocking them.

The result: a high-performing show operating without the data infrastructure to understand why it was performing, or to confidently act on what could be improved.

WHY EXPLORI

A partner already embedded in the process

IMEX had been working with Explori for a number of years before Gary joined. What changed under his tenure was how the partnership was used.

Rather than treating Explori’s post-show surveys as a reporting exercise, something delivered after the event and filed, IMEX began actively aligning the survey design to the specific initiatives they were working on. Questions were built around goals, not just general sentiment.

The shift meant the data stopped being retrospective and became part of the planning cycle. When IMEX wanted to test a theory, they put the question into the survey first. When they made a change, they built in the measurement to track its impact.

Explori’s role evolved from supplier to planning partner. A distinction Gary draws clearly.

Partner registration redesigned

Data revealed frustration in the partner registration flow. IMEX changed the process so registration completion was the first required step.

The result: a 20% improvement year-on-year in profile completion rates.

Meeting friction addressed

Appointment-setting pain points surfaced repeatedly in the surveys. IMEX invested in AI-assisted matching to help attendees and exhibitors find the right meetings, significantly increasing the positive feedback as a direct result of those changes.

Wayfinding improved

Movement data and survey signals around navigation led to the implementation of blue dot way-finding technology — a direct translation of audience insight into a structural show change, positively impacting the overall experience design.

Technology transitions navigated

When IMEX made a significant technology change, Explori data identified which elements were causing friction and in what order to address them, giving the team confidence to act and evidence to justify the investment.

INTERNAL IMPACT

Data as an operational foundation, not a reporting exercise

The most significant change wasn’t a single decision. It was the shift from reactive reporting to continuous visibility.

IMEX moved from building reports when people asked for them to live dashboards, refreshed throughout the day, accessible to everyone across the business. The philosophy was explicit: no one should be waiting for a Friday report to understand how numbers are performing.

That transparency changed how the organisation worked. Teams could see the same data. Decisions could be made faster. And when Explori’s post-show findings came in, they were presented not to a small team but to as many people as could attend, because the insight belonged to the whole business.

The data layer also changed how IMEX communicates value to its own customers. IMEX now produces detailed analytics for exhibitors, combining movement data, meeting volume, and engagement signals, to help partners understand the return on their presence at the show. A direct response to what survey data showed exhibitors needed most.

That commitment to transparency extends beyond the IMEX team. Following each show, IMEX publishes a public-facing round-up of what the data showed, what changed as a result, and what they are continuing to work on. The Explori benchmark sits at the centre of that narrative, cited by name, with findings shared directly with the exhibitor and attendee community. It is a practice that drives consistently high response rates, because respondents can see that their feedback produces visible change.

WHAT’S NEXT

Building on a data foundation that’s ready

IMEX enters the next phase of its data strategy with something most organisations don’t have: years of consistent, comparable data that can actually be interrogated.

The focus is shifting from collection to activation. How do you bring together Explori survey data, registration data, movement data, and meetings data, and ask the right questions of it? How do you give exhibitors better insight into what the show did for them?

AI sits at the centre of that next phase, not to replace the human relationships that define IMEX’s shows, but to enhance them. To help attendees find the right people. To help the team ask better questions of data they’ve spent years collecting properly.

The partnership with Explori continues into the next show cycle, with survey design already underway for the upcoming IMEX Frankfurt.

IMEX

ABOUT IMEX

IMEX runs two of the world’s leading exhibitions for the global meetings, incentives, conferences and events industry: IMEX Frankfurt and IMEX America. Together, the shows serve tens of thousands of meetings professionals, hosted buyers, and exhibitors across the events community each year. Known for exceptional experience scores and strong industry relationships built over decades, IMEX has worked with Explori as a measurement partner across multiple show cycles.

How does IMEX use event intelligence across its two shows?

IMEX works with Explori to run post-event surveys across both IMEX Frankfurt and IMEX America, measuring attendee and exhibitor experience on a consistent methodology each show cycle. Rather than treating survey results as a reporting exercise, IMEX aligns the survey design to the specific goals and initiatives they are working on, so the data feeds directly into the annual planning cycle. Findings are presented to the full IMEX team and used to prioritise where changes are made.

What does consistent event measurement actually enable?

Consistent measurement means you can trust what the data is telling you. When surveys are run the same way across every show cycle, you can connect a change you made to an outcome in the numbers. Without that consistency, data becomes directional at best. IMEX invested in building that foundation early, which is why they can now track year-on-year performance, identify trends across Frankfurt and America, and make planning decisions with genuine confidence rather than instinct.

How does Explori help event data stand up in senior conversations?

Explori standardises measurement across events and portfolios, applies industry benchmarking, and frames performance in terms that connect to business objectives. That means event data can sit alongside revenue targets, operational priorities, and investment decisions rather than being siloed in a post-event summary. For IMEX, that translated into a whole-business data culture where every team has access to the same insight, not just the people who commissioned the report.

How does Explori's managed service work?

Explori manages the full measurement process: survey design, question architecture, data collection, analysis, and structured debrief. For IMEX, that includes ongoing collaboration on which questions to ask ahead of each show cycle, so the survey is always aligned to what they are trying to learn. The debrief is not a report drop. It is a working session with the leadership team, focused on where to act and how to prioritise.

How can event data improve decision-making at large-scale exhibitions?

When you have reliable, consistent data across show cycles, you can stop relying on gut feel for the decisions that matter. IMEX used Explori data to redesign partner registration flows, address appointment-setting friction, implement wayfinding technology, and navigate a major technology transition, each time with evidence to back the decision and a way to measure whether it worked. The data does not replace operational judgment. It gives that judgment something solid to stand on.

What types of organisations use Explori for event intelligence?

Explori works with exhibition organisers, associations, and corporate event teams running complex, multi-cycle event portfolios. Clients are typically organisations where events are a core part of the business model and where leadership needs evidence, not just sentiment, to make investment decisions. IMEX is one of a number of global shows that uses Explori to benchmark performance and build the data infrastructure that makes continuous improvement possible.