​What you need to know - International Media Marketplace: Observations

Loved this welcome artwork at the JFK. the airport was the warmest part of the trip - nothing prepared me for how cold it was outside!!!

While I do recommend heading to IMM wherever you can next, I did have some general observations to share from the experience that I hope is helpful for you if you intend to apply to attend at the next event. If you haven’t already, read here why you should attend, else read on ahead for some more feedback from my first time here...

1. For a first timer, this can be really overwhelming, as it was for me. And for many others from what I gathered in general. A primer of some sort of what to expect would have been nice either available online as part of the scheduling system or onsite along with the handouts.
2. While registration and sign-in was a breeze, albeit a tad bit crowded closer to start of the event, there really was no waiting area for media to get ready for appointments while the destinations were setting up. Or if there was, I certainly had no idea about it!
3. The layout was also interesting and so my idea for point 2 above where media could have been addressed about how the floor plan worked and how the day would go. My agenda for the day did talk about an opening address but I have no idea if/where that happened.
4. The cruise section was in one ballroom while the other destinations were in another and then there were some destinations sort of in this central area between the two ballrooms. However, our schedules for appointments were all over the place so invariably media professionals lost time making it from one appointment to the other depending on who they were meeting with or having to wait on another person making up for their lost time. If everything was in one big ballroom, figuring out where to go and then dashing around with our bags full of info and notes wouldn’t have to be resorted to. I know I took down some of the standees and banners every time I made a dash from one ballroom to the other. Seems funny now but was a bit frustrating at the time.
5. I believe I am not alone in assuming that lunch and dinner were going to be sit-down affairs. Or lunch at least. However both were basically appetizers and drinks-type deals which were simply crazy because when you have a crowd of a few hundred people and all of them have to wait for the bite-sized appetizers to get to them, especially during lunch when there is a time constraint, it really does not make for a very professional event. Luckily, given time was of the essence here, many decided to get lunch themselves which helped clear out the crowd and eventually the passed appetizers made their way around the room. It did take a while for everyone to understand though that the appetizers were pretty much lunch. Dinner at the networking event was a tad bit more organized despite the same passed appetizers format. I would probably head for lunch elsewhere if I am back next year.
6. I also later learned post-event that some members had been provided some form of assistance with stay and that there were also local FAM trips organized as part of the event which I was not privy to. I am not sure if all attendees received this information and I just missed out or if it was only offered to some but have no memory of any information being received pertaining to this so it was a bit of a surprise to learn. I would have certainly appreciated assistance with stay and local FAMs where possible. I am still a bit clueless about how this all works.
7. I do believe the lunch/dinner/coffee breaks were missed opportunities to network with the destinations that media were unable to meet with one-on-one. I wouldn’t have minded meeting with some of those destinations over those snack breaks even if it did mean sharing that time with a few other media professionals while still learning more about the destination and connecting with representatives.

Overall, I would recommend the event but hope you find this post helpful to organize your day and what to expect. I am unsure if this is the format followed at all media marketplaces held internationally. Hopefully there are other posts out too reviewing the event to give you a better idea. I definitely walked away with some very good connections and possible story ideas to explore for some of the outlets I freelance for. I’ve already connected with a few of the destinations on collaborations and hope you will see the fruits of those efforts with lots of blog posts here! Were you at the media marketplace too? Would appreciate your feedback in the comments or inputs on any other similar events you’ve found useful.