Main navigation Menu Breadcrumb Home Media room Biographies Biographies Ray Bloom, Chairman, IMEX Group Carina Bauer, CEO, IMEX Group Ray Bloom, Chairman, IMEX Group Updated January 2021 Ray Bloom is the chairman and founder of the IMEX Group, which organises worldwide exhibitions for the incentive travel, meetings and events industry in Europe and the USA. IMEX in Frankfurt takes place at Messe Frankfurt, Germany, every spring; while IMEX America takes place at the Las Vegas Sands Expo each autumn. Ray Bloom has been a successful entrepreneur for many years. He started his career in the motor industry where his family’s Volkswagen Audi dealership won the Diamond Pin Award (the highest Volkswagen Award given to dealerships worldwide). He subsequently entered the hotel industry and then the exhibition industry where he built up EIBTM (European and Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition), which was sold to Reed Exhibitions in 1997. In addition, Bloom built up the leading sales and promotion exhibition, Incentive World (London), which was also sold to Reed Exhibitions in 2000. Whilst founding and developing what have become the leading trade shows in the global meetings and incentive travel sector, Bloom also became heavily involved in numerous industry associations and has been recognised in a variety of ways. His recognitions include being inducted into the EIC (Events Industry Council) Hall of Leaders (1991); being awarded UK Personality of the Year by Meetings & Incentive Travel Magazine (1993); recipient of the ICCA (International Congress and Conventions Association) Presidents Award (1997) and being inducted into the WATA (World Association of Travel Agencies) Hall of Fame in 2000, and the Destinations International Hall of Fame (2016). In addition in 2017 alone, he received the JMIC (Joint Meetings Industry Council) Unity Award, the MPI (Meeting Professionals International) Industry Leader Award and the ICCA Moises Shuster Award. His most recent honours include MPI Industry Champion (2020), the EN Pioneer Award (2019) and being inducted into the ICJ Hall of Fame (2019). Bloom served on the Board of Trustees for the MPI (Meeting Professionals International) Foundation from 1996 – 2002 and MPI’s Global Strategy Taskforce Committee from 2006 – 2008. He also served on the Board of Trustees for the SITE (Society for Incentive Travel Excellence) Foundation 1993 - 1999 and, until recently, was Treasurer for the SITE Foundation. He currently serves on the MPI European Council. Ray Bloom’s views and opinions on the meetings and incentive travel industry are widely sought after and he is a regular speaker at industry events around the world. The IMEX Group’s offices are in Brighton, East Sussex, UK. Located on the south coast of the UK, Brighton is called ‘London by the Sea’ for its cosmopolitan nature and youth culture. Bloom was born and bred in Brighton and is enormously proud of his and his family’s links to the city. He also has a long-standing family association with the city’s football club. As a director of Brighton and Hove Albion for over 30 years, he has seen the team go from strength to strength, returning to the top flight of English football in 2017, the Premier League, for the first time since 1983. He is also vice president of the Sussex Young Cricketers, a local junior cricket team. Industry/media award highlights Inducted into the EIC (Events Industry Council) Hall of Leaders – 1991 Inducted into WATA (World Association of Travel Agencies) Hall of Fame – 2000 Awarded Corporate Order of Skal Merit – October 2010 First person to receive the ICTP (International Council of Tourism Partners) Industry Visionary Award – October 2011 Winner of the MPI Rise Award for Meetings Industry Leadership – April 2012 Successful Meetings’ 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry – June 2012 BizBash Top 50 Most Innovative Events Professionals – June 2013 Inducted into the Destinations International Hall of Fame – August 2016 JMIC (Joint Meetings Industry Council) Unity Award – May 2017 MPI (Meeting Professionals International) Industry Leader Award – June 2017 ICCA (International Congress & Conventions Association) Moises Shuster Award – November 2017 EN Pioneer Award – 2019 ICJ Hall of Fame – 2019 MPI Industry Champion - 2020 Carina Bauer, CEO, IMEX Group Updated September 2021 A passionate and dedicated leader, Carina Bauer is the CEO of the IMEX Group – an organisation responsible for organising the leading global trade shows for the international business events industry. Carina is passionate about the business events sector and its impact on the world, taking a particular interest in issues around sustainability, diversity and inclusion and mentoring the leaders of tomorrow. Carina also takes a keen interest in leadership development and organisational best practice. Throughout her career, Carina has been an active member of the meetings industry. She is currently President Elect for the AEO Council, Immediate Past President of the SITE Foundation and serves as an UFI Board member. She has previously served on the Board of the MPI UK Chapter and on global committees for MPI and PCMA. Having graduated from Oxford University, UK, with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics, and following a short stint in retail and catering, she joined the business events industry in 2002 as the Marketing and Operations Director for IMEX in Frankfurt as part of the original launch team for the exhibition. Following the expansion of the IMEX brand into America in 2009, Carina was appointed CEO of the IMEX Group. Carina lives in the south east of the UK, near to the IMEX Group office in Brighton – a coastal town called “London-by-the-Sea” due to its cosmopolitan nature and youth culture. She enjoys spending time with her family (she’s a mother to two boys) and travelling for work and pleasure. She is an adventure sports enthusiast with a particular love for skiing, hitting the slopes with friends and family when she can. Industry/media award highlights Chair AEO Council 2020/2021 Past President, SITE Foundation, 2020 Board Member, UFI (since 2020) Winner, PCMA Wayfinder Award, 2021 Mentor 2019/2020 for Fast Forward 15, the mentoring scheme for women in hospitality and events Winner of Smart Women in Meetings Award 2018 and 2019 One of the 25 Most Influential People in the Incentive Industry - Northstar Meetings Group, 2018 Winner of the Spirit of Collaboration Award, Timothy S Y Lam, Spirit of Hospitality Awards, 2018 Winner, Inspirational Women Awards, ICCA 2018 IMEX AMERICA LAS VEGAS OCTOBER 11 - 13, 2022 IMEX FRANKFURT 26 - 28 APRIL, 2022 Contact us +44 1273 227311 © 2021 Regent Exhibitions Ltd. Legal stuff Privacy COOKIES Our use of cookies We’re using cookies to improve your experience on our website. We’d also like to use additional cookies to allow you to enjoy certain features, and to allow us to continuously improve how our website works. 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