In late June, Gary Coombs was appointed chief operating officer for IMEX Group. A newly created role, the chief operating officer is charged with implementing the processes and structures needed to support the strategic direction of the global trade show business. Coombs is also a member of the IMEX Group board.
IMEX created the role as a result of an operational review across the 80-plus staff, wanting to ensure all team structures and roles underpin the company’s future ambitions and vision. Coombs will coordinate teams across various departments with the operations, marketing communications, and internet technology and transformation teams all reporting to him.
“‘Achieve together’ is one of our company values, and we simply wouldn’t be able to deliver our shows without the best-in-class structures, culture, and processes in place to support the hard work our team puts in every day,” says Coombs in a prepared statement. “I’m excited to help our talented and passionate team continue to drive this business forward and lead the way.”
IMEX Group was first founded in 2001 and produced its first trade show, IMEX Frankfurt, in Germany in 2003. It expanded to the U.S. with the launch of IMEX America in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2011. The company’s annual events bring some 13,000 industry professionals together each year from 100 different countries.
This year, IMEX America will kick off on Oct. 7 in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Free to attend, it will run until Oct. 10 with a menu of exhibitor booths, networking opportunities, educational sessions, and more.
