The tourism offices of French Saint-Martin, Dutch St. Maarten and Anguilla participated in IMEX America in Las Vegas on October 8-10.
MARIGOT--Saint-Martin Tourist Office took part in IMEX America, one of the largest international trade shows dedicated to the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) industry, in Las Vegas October 8-10.
At this key event, the French Saint-Martin Tourist Office shared a stand with the Anguilla and Dutch St. Maarten Tourism Offices, reinforcing the synergies between the three destinations.
Several socio-professional partners were also present on the stand, including Grand Case Beach Club, SXM Vacances, Lagoon Group, Simpson Bay Resort, Aurora Anguilla Resort and J.W. Marriott. Together, they highlighted the strengths of the three islands in hosting MICE events, attracting the attention of many international players.
With more than 120 one-on-one meetings organised at the stand, the team had the opportunity to interact with MICE industry professionals from all over the world. A meet-and-greet was organised on October 8, bringing together around 10 agents and enabling them to strengthen their professional relationships with the players present.
The Saint-Martin Tourist Office also took the opportunity to meet Atout France representatives, including Gaël Wehner, head of business tourism for the United States, and Frédéric Mazenq, regional director for the United States, to discuss prospects for developing business tourism in the destination.
In addition to the business meetings, the Tourism Office team took part in a number of seminars and conferences on emerging trends in the MICE sector and communications, reinforcing its expertise to better meet expectations of event organisers.
As part of the follow-up to the show, several webinars are planned for 2024, bringing together all the agents met at the event. During these webinars, the Tourism Offices of Saint-Martin, Anguilla and St. Maarten will present their respective destinations, and the socio-professional partners will take the floor to present their MICE offers.
Participation in IMEX America will raise Saint-Martin's profile on the international MICE market and confirm its commitment to developing this booming segment, which is vital to the local economy, the Tourism Office said.
