Last week I had the pleasure of attending the IMEX America show at the Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas. I was not a hosted buyer, simply an attendee.

In a word—the show was impressive. It was impressive in the following ways:

International Pavilions: Wow! So many! The only other U.S. tradeshow I’ve seen with more international exhibitors is the Fancy Foods Show in New York. For the most part, show management was smart and grouped the international pavilions by region—so the Europeans were together, Asians together, etc. The booth designs were gorgeous. They definitely rival many fashion-oriented shows.

Far More Shell Scheme Booths than Pipe & Drape: This added to the beauty of the show. Plus when your shell scheme booth is 8 feet high, there are no awful display rules needed. For those who don’t know, only two countries regularly use pipe & drape—the U.S. and Canada. I was happy to see so many U.S. companies using the shell scheme.

Hosted Buyer Model: With 2,000 hosted buyers, the model clearly worked. The buyers had appointments pre-set and had to attend them all or pay the price (literally). Buyers I knew were completely exhausted by the end of the 3 days, but overall really enjoyed the experience. Exhibitors were thrilled—they had time to research the buyers’ organizations and were prepared to discuss business.

Busy and Crowded Aisles: Because the show was also open to qualified buyers (not hosted), there were plenty of normal attendees walking the show floor as well. In fact, one U.S. city I know of booked a citywide convention for 2014 from a walk-up attendee. Citywide.

Interesting Floor Plan: The show was designed with dead-end aisles. While sometimes it was confusing to find a booth, overall, it was kind of fun to walk and keep discovering new areas of the show around a corner. With 1,800 exhibitors, there was plenty to see.

Rave Reviews About Show Management: This is a double WOW! I heard from international and domestic exhibitors about how awesome and responsive show management was towards their needs. Many of them actually attributed this to the fact that the show management is British. You know, it bothers me in that responsiveness and partnerships should be the NORM, not the exception in our business—regardless what country show management is from, or if they are “for profit” or an association. Exhibitors are NOT the enemy!

Do your exhibitors rave or complain about your show management team and style? Is your organizational culture brave enough to ask those questions then deal with the answers?

Stephanie Selesnick, CEM is President of International Trade Information, Inc., a Los Angeles, CA-based boutique international exhibition management and conference company founded in 1972. ITI has always had an international focus—whether launching shows in other countries or bringing foreign exhibitors and visitors into U.S.-based exhibitions  and events. Reach her at stephanie@intltradeinfo.com and follow her on Twitter @StephSelesnick.