Despite difficult economic conditions, one of the nation’s biggest events of the year, the CES Show in Vegas, has had its best year yet.
According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), CES 2012 was its biggest in 44 years, with over 1.851 million net square feet.
The show, which was held Jan 10-13, boasted more than 3,100 companies exhibiting across seven separate halls and revealing over 20,000 new products.
The show drew a record crowd of more than… Read the rest of this entry »
Watch out Las Vegas and Chicago because New York is tired of slumming it at the bottom of the convention center charts. And it’s planning to reverse its fortunes by building the biggest convention center in the country.
New York Govenor, Andrew M. Cuomo, announced the plans for the new convention center, to be located on the outskirts of Manhattan, in his annual State of the State address. The plan calls for the construction of a 3.8 million square foot convention center that he claims will be capable of hosting the country’s largest events as well as boosting revenues for hotels, catering, restaurants and tourism.
It will be located on the site of the Queens-based Aqueduct Race Track. The casualty will be the existing 18-acre Jacob Javits Center on the west side of the city, which he says should be redeveloped into residential units, retail areas, recreational facilities and public parks.
“New York is the place to be and New York is the place people want to come to, but New York must stay ahead of the competition,” the governor told the media in his address [see video below]. “Convention centers are important economic generators. Right now, when you look at the list of where New York is in terms of convention centers, sadly, New York’s convention center, the Jacob Javits Center on the west side of Manhattan, is at the bottom of the list. It’s literally number 12 after places like Anaheim, California, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles.”
He added: “Right now, the Jacob Javits Center is not competitive and that hurts the New York economy because we’re not getting the shows here. We believe we can attract $4 billion in private investment to build a state of the art convention center at the Aqueduct Race Track. It will be all about jobs, jobs, jobs while building the number one convention center in the country and we’ll go from number 12 to number 1.”
Sounds like a tall order but could New York become the convention capital?
Virtual meetings will never replace face-to-face events and exhibitions but a growing number of digital tools are allowing those that exhibit to add value to their events.
In 2012, the trend towards more virtual meetings will continue and accelerate. To help prepare for what’s coming down the pipe, the Virtual Edge Institute – an international organization dedicated to advancing the development and adoption of virtual event and meeting technology – has published its Top 7 Predictions for Virtual Meeting Technology in 2012.
“To summarize,” Michael Doyle, founder and execituve director of VEI, says “the theme is ‘more, more, more’ for 2012, though not necessarily more of the same. Experimentation and ongoing adjustment to digital strategies will be with us for the foreseeable future as we strive to add value to event, meeting, marketing and learning programs with an ever-growing arsenal of digital tools.”
Here are those predictions from the top:
1. More movement toward a simpler “less is more” approach
The trend toward a more simplified, web page-based graphical interface for online events and meetings will continue in 2012. Platform vendors are moving in… Read the rest of this entry »
One of the biggest events in the US exhibitions calendar, the CES technology and gadget show in Vegas, has lost its biggest supporter.
Microsoft has announced that, after 20 years of being a keynote speaker or a major booth taker at the event, the 2012 event this month will be its last. In what could a warning to the rest of the events industry, the company cited a ‘disconnect’ between its marketing activities and what the trade show can offer, as well as mentioning its growing reliance on alternative means of getting news out there, including…. Read the rest of this entry »
Well, there goes 2011. A better year in many ways than 2010 for the events industry and one that was capped off in fine style by the recent Expo! Expo! event by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) in glittering Las Vegas.
By all accounts it went well, despite some niggles over certain session formats and some scantily clad showgirls. More than 2,200 professionals from the industry attended the show at the Las Vegas Convention Center and there were 266 exhibitors. 2011 IAEE Chairman Vinnie Polito opened the event with a recap on the past year, highlighting accomplishments and pushing the value of face-to-face meetings alongside the IAEE’s new, forthcoming PR drive to boost the whole events and exhibitions sector throughout the next year and beyond. Read ‘Events Industry Raises $1 Million for PR Push’.
From what we have gathered, the shows Education tracks were a resounding success, with 11 different streams, featuring more than 130 speakers and 50 sessions over the three days. Topics covered everything from attendee experience development and e-Merge technology to exhibitor solutions, global business development, marketing, operations and professional development.
What may have been less successful was the IAEE’s use of Vegas showgirls – at least with the female attendees – who numbered close to half, according to one commentator. Many of them thought they detracted from the professionalism of the rest of the event. Overall, though, the IAEE’s show brought 2011 to a successful close.
Here’s to a stronger 2012.
Happy holiday and best wishes for the New Year from your events industry blog, Best in Show.
Last month we covered news that the events industry was going on a PR offensive to generate awareness about the value of exhibitions on business and commerce. Read ‘Events Industry Launches Largest PR Campaign‘.
OK, it’s official. 2011 has been the best year for the US exhibition and events industry in recent years.
Some would say that wouldn’t be all that hard but, you have to give credit when growth has been recorded for every quarter this year. It’s not a return to pre-economic recession days but it’s all heading in the right direction. The Total Index measurement – which measures across four key metrics – has recorded a 2.6% increase during the third quarter against the same period in 2010, continuing the momentum recorded earlier this year.
The Index is published by industry watchdog, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR).
“The results show that the exhibition industry is healthy, vibrant and…. Read the rest of this entry »
The world might becoming virtual with an increasing number of online business-to-business (B2B) and social tools and services out there but, most marketing folk, still rate trade shows and events as the best way to build new customer relationships.
In fact, 99% of them in a recent survey claimed that B2B events offer numerous unique advantages. Leading the pack was the…
How long can conventions centers hold out against offering free Wi-Fi to visitors?
Not too much longer by the looks of it. In the past week, Washington State Convention Center and the Houston, Texas-based George R. Brown Convention Center are offering free Wi-Fi in all of their public spaces for the first time.
Best in Show recently covered just how the thorny issue of Wi-Fi at events is being tackled by a new task force overseen by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events [IAEE]. Read: The Problem with Wi-Fi.
At both the Washington State Convention Center and the George R. Brown Convention Center, the free Wi-Fi service will be a ….
It’s ‘good to be green’, or so the current thinking in pretty much all business sectors tells us these days, not just the event and exhibit sector.
While support for more environmentally conscious events is on the rise, it seems that the deep economic recession of recent years has taken some off the shine off getting more planet-friendly.
A recent survey shows a disconnect between company marketing messages about green practices and what the companies are actually doing. Over 50% of exhibitors showed a….
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