IMEX Frankfurt 2027 runs 11–13 May at Messe Frankfurt and is free to attend. Hosted buyer rules, 2026 buyer profile, meetings and the S-Bahn route from the airport.
Cover image: The Frankfurt skyline, host city of IMEX Frankfurt at Messe Frankfurt — photo by DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
IMEX Frankfurt 2027 runs from Tuesday 11 to Thursday 13 May 2027 at Messe Frankfurt, with a free day of specialist education on Monday 10 May, and it costs nothing to attend. Organised by IMEX Group, it is a trade show for the meetings, events and incentive travel industry, where convention bureaux, hotels, venues and event suppliers meet the planners who buy international events.
It is built for meeting planners, event agencies, association executives, incentive buyers and corporate event teams, and the suppliers chasing their business. When we checked on 25 October 2026, registration for 2027 had not opened; the organiser is collecting expressions of interest from visitors, hosted buyers and press.
Who exhibits and who attends IMEX Frankfurt?
The 2026 edition, held from 19 to 21 May, drew 13,515 participants including exhibitors, according to the organiser's show statistics. Its 4,739 buyers from 94 countries comprised 3,731 hosted buyers and 1,008 buyer attendees. There were 2,900 exhibiting companies representing 100 countries, 160 press from 21 countries and 73,000 meetings, counting one-to-one and group appointments and booth presentations.
Germany supplied 23% of buyers, the United States 11% and the United Kingdom 9%, with Brazil on 4%. By type of business, 68% of buyers worked for agencies, 16% for corporates and 10% for associations, with independent planners and government or university buyers making up the rest. IMEX reports that 22% of buyers had total buying power of more than $10 million.
The organiser lists its exhibitors as national and regional tourist offices and convention bureaux, hotels, conference and exhibition venues, cruise lines, airlines, transport companies, technology providers and event management specialists.
How to attend IMEX Frankfurt: registration, hosted buyers and students
Buyer attendees and visitors. Attendance is free. You create an IMEX account, then register once registration for 2027 opens. Attendee registration stays open through the show and you can register on arrival, though IMEX warns that on-site badge printing is limited. Buyer attendees who are not hosted still get the online meetings system and free education. Registered visitors can create a visa invitation letter.
Hosted buyers. The package covers flights from Europe, plus long-haul flights for buyers who travel as part of a hosted-buyer group, and accommodation, with no cancellation fees. To qualify you must research, organise, influence or make budget decisions for events outside your home country, have confirmed or planned events in the next three years and come with buying power. In return you commit to booking six to eight meetings a day through the show platform and to staying for each full day of your programme. Around 300 exhibitors act as intermediaries, inviting clients into their hosted-buyer groups; you can also apply direct. Corporate planners bound by compliance rules can pay their own travel and hotel and keep the other benefits. Hosted-buyer registration closes before the show.
Students and press. Event-management students register like any other attendee, and IMEX recommends they come on the Thursday. Students can also apply for the IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum, and journalists apply through the organiser's press centre.
Is it open to the public? No. It is a business event for meetings and events professionals, with no public days.
Networking at IMEX Frankfurt: meetings, education and evening events
Meetings are buyer-led. Buyers search the Exhibitor Directory and request appointments in the online system, and exhibitors can contact buyers through the attendee list, which registered buyers and exhibitors can see in their IMEX account from April. For the 2026 show, meeting booking opened on 20 April, about four weeks before the doors opened, so that is the window to fill your diary. IMEX guarantees exhibitors no minimum number of meetings and says the exhibitor profile is where buyers find you, so complete it early.
The Monday before the show is the specialist education day. In 2026 it carried Association Focus and Exclusively Corporate, separate education and networking programmes for association and corporate planners, followed by an association social evening and SITE NITE Europe. On show days the 2026 programme ran more than 200 sessions across eleven tracks. Most need no booking, many carry CMP, CSEP and ICCA Skills accreditation, and English is the main language, with live translation through Wordly.ai.
The 2026 social programme included the Gala Dinner and Awards and IMEXrun, a 5km fun run along the river Main. In 2026 the floor opened 9:30am to 5:30pm on Tuesday and Wednesday and 9:30am to 4pm on Thursday; 2027 hours are not yet published.
Getting to IMEX Frankfurt and where to stay
There is no direct S-Bahn from Frankfurt Airport to the fairground. IMEX's travel page says to take the S8 (towards Offenbach Ost) or the S9 (towards Hanau Hauptbahnhof) from the airport's regional station to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, then change to the S3, S4, S5 or S6 to Messe, Torhaus entrance. The journey takes around 30 minutes. A taxi takes about 20 minutes, with fares from €35, and shuttle buses run between the airport and Messe Frankfurt on show days. For 2027, hosted buyers landing on Monday 10 May are directed by IMEX hosts to a shuttle to their hotel, and those arriving on 11 or 12 May are taken straight to Messe Frankfurt with their luggage.
From the Hauptbahnhof it is a 15-minute walk, or take tram 16 or 17 or the U4 to Festhalle/Messe; electric shuttle buses also run between the station and the venue. Drivers should follow signs to Gate 9, where a day parking voucher costs €21; hosted buyers can claim free parking.
IMEX says there are 12,500 hotel rooms within walking distance of the venue. Discounted hotel rates and travel offers for 2027 will appear on its travel and accommodation page closer to the show.
How does IMEX Frankfurt compare with IBTM World and IMEX America?
IBTM World in Barcelona also serves the meetings and events industry, in November. Its organiser reported nearly 12,000 participants, almost 2,500 exhibitors and more than 79,000 pre-scheduled meetings at the 2025 edition, against IMEX Frankfurt's 13,515 participants, 2,900 exhibiting companies and 73,000 meetings in 2026. IMEX Group runs a sister show, IMEX America, in Las Vegas. Our travel trade shows calendar lists both by month.
Frequently asked questions
When is IMEX Frankfurt 2027?
IMEX Frankfurt 2027 runs from Tuesday 11 to Thursday 13 May 2027 at Messe Frankfurt, Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage 1, Frankfurt. A free day of specialist education, including separate programmes for association and corporate planners, takes place the day before, on Monday 10 May. The previous edition ran from 19 to 21 May 2026 at the same venue.
Is IMEX Frankfurt open to the public?
No. IMEX Frankfurt is a trade show for the meetings, events and incentive travel industry and has no public days. The organiser welcomes meeting planners, agencies, association and corporate event teams, incentive buyers, exhibitors, academics, event-management students and press. Everyone needs an IMEX account and a badge; if you miss online registration, you can register on site.
How much does it cost to attend IMEX Frankfurt?
Nothing. IMEX Frankfurt is free to attend for registered industry professionals, including buyer attendees and students. Qualifying hosted buyers also receive free flights (from Europe, or long-haul when travelling with a hosted-buyer group) and free accommodation, with no cancellation fees, in return for booking six to eight meetings a day. If you drive, a day parking voucher at Gate 9 costs €21.
How do I become a hosted buyer at IMEX Frankfurt?
Apply direct through an IMEX account, or accept an invitation from one of the roughly 300 exhibitors that act as intermediaries and bring client groups. You must research, organise, influence or sign off budgets for events outside your home country, have confirmed or planned events in the next three years and arrive with buying power. IMEX checks applications against the venues you name and makes the final decision.
How do I get from Frankfurt Airport to IMEX Frankfurt?
Take S-Bahn line S8 or S9 from the airport's regional station to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, then change to the S3, S4, S5 or S6 for Messe, Torhaus entrance. IMEX puts the whole journey at about 30 minutes. A taxi takes about 20 minutes, with fares from €35, and shuttle buses run between the airport and Messe Frankfurt on show days.
Sources
- IMEX Group, IMEX Frankfurt homepage: 2027 dates and venue
- IMEX Group, IMEX Frankfurt 2026 show statistics (PDF)
- IMEX Group, Attending IMEX Frankfurt
- IMEX Group, Hosted buyer program
- IMEX Group, IMEX Frankfurt FAQs
- IMEX Group, IMEX Frankfurt travel and accommodations
- IMEX Group, IMEX Frankfurt schedule at a glance 2026
- RX, IBTM World 2025 results release
