CHICAGO — Questex announced a record first quarter of 2023 for its events in terms of exhibitors, attendees and revenue, pushing the company’s events beyond pre-pandemic levels.
Questex events saw significant growth in Q1, including co-located events International Beauty Fair (IBS) New York and International Conference on Aesthetics, Cosmetics and Spa (IECSC) New York, which saw a combined 22% growth in attendees compared to 2022. IECSC grew 10% from 2019 and increased revenue by 25% compared to the 2022 event.
“Like every year, we developed a multi-level marketing plan to reach our target audience down to the function level, through different touchpoints,” said Jennifer Rosen, group marketing director, Travel & Wellness Group, Questex. “But this year, we shifted our messaging to reach our audience on an emotional level.”
The beauty and spa industries have been significantly impacted in recent years, and Rosen explained that by using more emotional messaging, Questex was able to recognize the hard work and dedication of industry professionals.
“This year, instead of focusing our event and campaign on the beauty and spa industries, we turned our attention to our attendees, making them feel like the ones sitting in the chair and empowering them to say ‘yes’ to themselves! We launched the ‘Say Yes to You’ campaign to make attendees come to IBS and IECSC and feel valued. We brought them top-notch education, top companies to connect with, and developed new on-show entertainment to empower them – all to help them become the best version of themselves and finally say ‘yes to you’!”
Related. New On-Site Experiences Drive Engagement at IBS New York and IECSC New York, Both Co-located
Compared to 2019, 2023 Bar and restaurant fair grew by 42% and was the largest edition in five years, and when combined with World Tea Expo, attendance increased by 19% compared to 2022.
“The growth was driven by a combination of strong exhibit demand, increased size of existing exhibitors, a premier conference program and unique food and beverage activations,” said Tim McLucas, vice president and market head, Bar & Restaurant Group, Questex. “Marketing tactics included a high-profile social media influencer campaign, extensive email campaigns across all industry categories, digital advertising, SMS campaigns, Google Ads and YouTube video bumper ads. The 2023 edition brought major enhancements to the conference program, as well as the launch of new on-site customer engagement experiences including a tea bar, and the creation of new and enhanced networking opportunities for attendees.”
Another high growth event, Vibe Conferencegrew 30% over 2019 and increased revenue by 20% over 2022. Vibe 2023 was the largest edition in the conference’s history.
Questex’s Fierce Pharma events also saw growth, with Fierce JPM Week generating the highest revenue generated in event history, Business Development and Licensing Summit attendance increasing 13% over 2022 and Fierce Pharma PR & Communications West increasing 30% using a year-over-year comparison.
The first quarter of 2023 builds on Questex’s strong performance in 2022, which saw IBS Las Vegas and International Live Design (LDI) is among the 2022 Trade Show Executive (TSE) Fastest 50 in all three metrics, and IECSC Las Vegas is among the Fastest 50 in net square footage and number of exhibiting companies. Sensors Converge was ranked in the Next 50 in net square footage and number of exhibiting companies, and Bar & Restaurant Expo and IECSC Las Vegas were among the Next 50 in total attendance.
Contact Jennifer Rosen at (212) 400-6233 or jrosen@questex.com; Tim McLucas at (617) 219-8348 or tmclucas@questex.com