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 »
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.
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….
When the going gets tough, the tough get, well, busy cranking up their marketing machine.
In an effort to combat the effects of a sluggish economy the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) is going on the offensive, launching the largest public relations (PR) campaign in its 83-year history to generate awareness in about the value of exhibitions on business and commerce.
“The exhibition industry remains the most resilient business-to-business marketing and communications channel despite the challenges brought about by the most serious recession in the nation’s history,” says IAEE Chairman, Vinnie Polito. “The exhibition remains the preeminent choice of corporate marketing executives, and we have a unique opportunity to build upon this strength and to further reinforce the fact that exhibitions can do more to advance corporate objectives than any other medium.”
The campaign has been made possible by a huge amount of fundraising with the IAEE’s members. The campaign will focus on:
Anyone who has ever visited a show knows that wireless Internet access via Wi-Fi either works great, works sometimes or works not at all.
The exhibition industry is aware of the problem and for the first time, a task force comprised of convention venue owners, trade show and exhibit organizers are about to look at the issue if Wi-Fi performance and cost. More importantly, how good the Wi-Fi system needs to be and who will pick up the tab.
The task force, which will be overseen by the International Association of Exhibitions and Events [IAEE], which published its own study into the issue back in August.
See our story ‘Wi-Fi: Who Should Pay?’.
Most notable in that study was the clear divide between what show organizers and venue owners think about the subject. Most show organizers (90%) said that attendees should be…..
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