We went to IMEX America with a 10×10 booth and left with 116 meetings.
That’s up from 81 last year. A competitor with a 20×20 told us they logged 73.
The lesson isn’t “buy a bigger booth.” It’s “do the work.”
Below is the playbook we ran what worked, what didn’t, and exactly how we used Accelevents to power the on and off-site moments that created real pipeline.
Lead with outcomes
We scheduled 126 meetings and had 10 no-shows, netting 116 conversations that mattered. Those conversations immediately turned into 41 scheduled follow-ups, plus 10 more follow-ups from walk-ups. Walk-up volume was way up this year because we gave people multiple reasons to meet us that had nothing to do with badge scans.
What drove the meetings: support the community, build the brand in the room, and run deliberate outbound. Everything else was secondary.
Back the community (and they’ll back you)
We didn’t treat IMEX like a three-day lead grab. We tried to be useful before, during, and after the show.
- We published the Ultimate Side-Events Guide so attendees could plan their nights without FOMO. It gave us a helpful asset to open conversations with hosted buyers and partners in the IMEX portal.
- We supported MPI’s RENDEZVOUS. The MPI Foundation has invested more than US $14.4M into scholarships, grants, and industry advocacy over the last 40 years. Their flagship RENDEZVOUS at Drai’s sells out for a reason: it fuels that mission while connecting the industry’s best.
Our role: Accelevents provided registration and ticketing for 3,000 attendees so MPI could focus on delivering an unforgettable night.
Create reasons to meet off the show floor
Accelevents Presents: Swing, Sip, & Connect—our private networking night at Topgolf Las Vegas—was built for real conversations, not elevator pitches. We invited event pros to step away from the floor for open bays, catering, and a true open bar.
Reality check: 227 registered; 84 showed. We suspect Mandalay Bay’s Uber pickup shuffle hurt arrival rates. That’s on us to solve next year with shuttles and clearer transport directions. Still, the folks who made it stayed, played, and booked.
How we used Accelevents for Topgolf
- Registration & RSVP landing page: we spun up the invite-only page in minutes, capped capacity, and segmented lists for agencies, associations, and partners.
- Automated confirmations and reminders: branded emails (and calendar holds) kept guests informed with address, arrival windows, and bay assignments.
- On-site check-in: QR codes scanned via the Accelevents Mobile Check-in app gave us an instant headcount and show/no-show visibility.
- Real-time attendance tracking: our dashboard made it easy to see who arrived and who needed a quick nudge.
- Post-event follow-up lists: attendees and no-shows synced straight into our outreach flows.
How we used Accelevents for MPI RENDEZVOUS
- High-volume registration & ticketing: Accelevents handled 3,000 tickets, multiple payment types, promo codes, and guest management under heavy demand.
- Attendee communications: On-brand confirmations and reminder emails went out automatically so MPI could focus on experience and fundraising.
- Fast on-site check-in: First-time venue staff from Caesars Entertainment (at Drai’s) learned the Accelevents scanner app in minutes and kept lines moving with QR scans and real-time guest search.
Do the outbound (because there’s no free lunch)
We combed through 4,700 hosted buyers in the IMEX portal and pulled our ICP. Then we sent personal notes—not generic cadences—often opening with the side-events guide as a helpful give. That work filled calendars before wheels-up and meant our booth team spent less time waving and more time meeting.
Optimize for booked meetings, not scans
Badge scans are a vanity metric. Booked meetings are the KPI that survives the flight home.
- We set daily meeting targets, time-boxed each slot, and routed conversations quickly.
- We booked follow-ups on the spot. Phones out, calendars up so momentum never cooled.
- We tracked walk-ups separately so we knew which messages and moments on the floor were actually pulling people in.
Small booth, big presence
A 10×10 forces focus. We kept the layout clean, made it obvious what we do, and gave people multiple ways to engage: quick product walkthroughs for the curious, deeper dives for qualified buyers, and invites to the night events for everyone building their network. The brand work we’ve done all year showed up—people recognized Accelevents, which shortened the “who are you?” loop and got us straight to value.
What we learned (and what we’ll change)
- Logistics determine attendance. Our Topgolf drop-off taught us to own transport. Next year: dedicated shuttles, earlier instructions, and an SMS nudge with the exact pickup point.
- Community partnerships compound. MPI RENDEZVOUS wasn’t just good will it put us at the heart of a mission the industry cares about. That credibility carried onto the floor.
- Personalization scales when the asset is useful. The side-events guide opened doors without asking for anything. More of that.
- Follow-ups start on-site. We left Vegas with 41 meetings already on the books. That’s pipeline insurance.
Steal the Playbook
If you’re heading to your next show, try this:
- Publish something useful to the attendee experience. Use it to open conversations ahead of the event.
- Host an off-site that people actually want to attend. Make it easy to RSVP and easier to arrive.
- Measure booked meetings, not scans. Route, schedule, and confirm while the energy is high.
- Support the community that supports your business. It pays back immediately and long term.
And if you want the infrastructure that made our IMEX week run—from 3,000-person party registration to a private night at Topgolf and a packed 10×10 Accelevents can power it end-to-end: Registration & Ticketing, Automated Communications, Mobile Check-in, Real-time Dashboards, and Post-event Segmentation that hands your reps clean follow-up lists.
