GMID 2026 to spotlight business events and exhibitions as drivers of human-led global growth

The events industry is gearing up for a moment of collective advocacy, and Snöball is adding new tools to help organizers make the most of it.

The Events Industry Council has announced Global Meetings Industry Day 2026, set for May 6, with a theme centered on face-to-face engagement as a catalyst for economic growth and cross-industry connection. The day will coincide with the release of a major Oxford Economics study quantifying the global impact of business events.

Closer to home, Snöball launched Snöflex this week, an add-on to its sharing widget that lets event advocates personalize their outreach by role, language, and offer type, all within a single campaign. The feature consolidates what previously required multiple separate builds into one streamlined sharing experience.

In this week’s edition of Snöcap, we cover both stories alongside leadership moves at the NEC Group, a five-year partnership extension between Messe Frankfurt and IMEX, and the latest hiring activity across the industry.

Here are the headlines from this week’s roundup:

Get the full stories below:

GMID 2026 to spotlight business events and exhibitions as drivers of human-led global growth

The Events Industry Council (EIC) has announced Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) 2026, a worldwide initiative set for May 6, 2026, that will spotlight business events and exhibitions as drivers of human-led global growth.

This year’s theme — Business Events and Exhibitions: The Human Catalyst for Global Growth — centers on the role of face-to-face engagement in driving economic expansion, accelerating innovation and strengthening cross-industry connections.

GMID 2026 will coincide with the release of the Global Economic Significance of Business Events Study, developed by EIC in partnership with Oxford Economics. The study will quantify the industry’s global contribution, including jobs supported, spending generated and broader community impact.

“Global Meetings Industry Day and the Advocacy resources aggregated provide a powerful focus and foundation to ensure that business events are recognised for their true purpose and impact as catalysts for connection, innovation and progress,” said Amy Calvert, President and CEO of the Events Industry Council. “At a time of increasing complexity and fragmentation, our industry plays a vital role in bringing people together to share ideas, build understanding and move the world forward. Our ability to shape communities through positive economic and societal impact is our best story and our people are our best resource.”

Stephanie Harris, President of the Incentive Research Foundation and 2026 EIC Board Chair, echoed the call for broad participation.

“Global Meetings Industry Day belongs to every part of our ecosystem — from planners and suppliers to destinations, educators and corporate leaders. When we show up together, we demonstrate the true scale and influence of our industry, and we inspire those in our industry — those who can be our best champions,” Harris said.

Amy added: “Together, GMID and the Economic Significance Study create a unified opportunity for our global community to tell a stronger, more consistent story about the value of business events. This is our moment to demonstrate not only what we do, but why it matters.”

Snöball launches Snöflex to power personalized event advocacy and boost registrations

Snöball (yeah, that’s us) has launched Snöflex, an add-on to its sharing widget that allows event advocates to personalize their outreach by role, language and offer type within a single campaign.

Snöflex enables advocates to select the messaging, persona and language that best fits their context when sharing an event. The tool dynamically incorporates advocate data into each share, including:

• Name
• Company
• Job title
• Booth number
• Promo codes
• Speaker session
• Custom fields

Previously, achieving this level of personalization required event organizers to build separate campaigns for each audience segment. Snöflex consolidates those into a single sharing experience.

The feature supports multiple languages, including English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese, with the interface, copy and graphic adapting when a language is selected. It also supports multiple offer types, such as free passes, VIP invites and hosted buyer opportunities, within the same campaign.

Snöflex also includes a post-event sharing mode, allowing attendees to share highlights, reflections and photos after an event concludes. Snöball positions this as a way to extend advocacy beyond the event and generate interest for future editions.

Snöflex is available as an add-on for existing Snöball clients and new teams. Existing clients can access the feature through their account manager.

Messe Frankfurt and IMEX extend partnership for five years

Messe Frankfurt and IMEX have extended their collaboration agreement for five years, keeping IMEX Frankfurt at the Frankfurt exhibition grounds through 2030.

IMEX Frankfurt has been held annually at Messe Frankfurt since 2003. The 2025 edition of the show drew the following attendance:

• Over 13,000 international visitors
• Over 4,000 buyers for meetings and events
• 2,900 exhibiting companies from around the world

This year, IMEX Frankfurt will take place May 19-21 in Halls 8 and 9, with “Design Matters” as its central theme, in keeping with Frankfurt’s status as World Design Capital 2026.

Mark Mulligan, IMEX’s Director of Operations, said: “We are delighted to have signed a new multi-year agreement with Messe Frankfurt for the period from 2026 to 2030. Frankfurt is where the IMEX story began with the launch of our very first show more than 20 years ago. By working closely with the Messe Frankfurt team and our other partners across the city, we’ve strengthened the show’s role as a catalyst for innovation, collaboration and positive impact across our sector.”

Michael Biwer, Vice President Guest Events at Messe Frankfurt, said: “Our long-standing collaboration with IMEX shows what can be achieved through partnership. We create an environment in Frankfurt that offers international organizers the best conditions for exchange, development and sustainable growth.”

NEC announces leadership transition, Ian Taylor to be new COO

The NEC Group has announced that Ian Taylor, currently Managing Director of Exhibitions, will transition into the role of Chief Operating Officer, effective April 1. Alongside this appointment, Sarah Harvey, currently Chief Development Officer, will take on the role of Deputy CEO and Managing Director of Exhibitions.

Both appointments reflect the NEC’s commitment to developing internal talent under CEO Paul Reeve.

Ian has led the Exhibitions team through a number of milestones, including hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and securing new business such as LAMMA, Plantworx, DreamHack and the Invictus Games 2027. He has also worked with long-standing customers to grow their events, cementing the NEC’s position as the UK’s leading venue.

Since joining in 2025, Sarah has driven growth in new content areas such as Peppa Pig Space Adventure and advanced plans for the development of the NEC Campus. In her new role, Sarah will retain responsibility for Group Marketing and will bring together the teams responsible for the core Exhibitions platform and future growth initiatives.

NEC CEO Paul Reeve said: “These changes reflect both the strength of the leadership team we have built and our ambition to continue evolving the business for the long term. Ian’s new role will further strengthen our operational foundations, ensuring we continue to deliver at scale and with consistency as we grow.

“Sarah’s expanded responsibilities will accelerate momentum across our exhibitions’ portfolio and the next phase of the NEC Campus, bringing together our core platform and future development plans under clear, unified leadership.”

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