Venue News

The Georgia International and Maritime Trade Center Authority (GIMTCA), which governs the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center (SITCC), has selected Songy Highroads, LLC., in partnership with Omni Hotels & Resorts, to develop a convention headquarters hotel.

It will be located on Hutchison Island adjacent to the riverfront convention center, which is managed by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA).

The next step of the agreement, which was unanimously approved by the GIMTCA board at its Dec. 14 meeting, is to work through development… more

Detroit’s Cobo Center recently completed a $2 million technology upgrade, which included an upgraded Nortel core switch that distributes the WiFi signal and along with several new Nortel edge switches located throughout the center.

“For the visitors that use our WiFi network, these upgrades will be like moving from a one lane highway to a three lane super-speedway,” said Claude Molinari, general manager of SMG/Cobo Center.

System improvements also include upgrading WiFi access points to 802.11ac Aruba APs and increasing the number of APs to 400 throughout the facility.

The Destination Marketing Association International Annual Convention saw their attendee numbers rise, with 1,500 taking part in its recent event held Aug. 1-3 in Minneapolis.

Attendees spent the time engaging in general sessions, discipline-focused roundtables and networking.

Throughout the program, DMAI’s association and foundation leadership recognized and celebrated those whom have demonstrated commitment and promise towards the continued success of destination marketing worldwide. 

This year, 42 industry representatives received their CDME certification; 18… more

The American Society of Association Executives has named the host cities where its ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition will be headed 2018-2022.

The meeting attracts thousands of association executives and hundreds of exhibitors each year, and also it’s the flagship education and exposition for associations and nonprofit organizations in the United States.

In 2018, the meeting will head to Chicago, followed by Columbus, Ohio, in 2019, Las Vegas in 2020, Dallas in 2021 and Atlanta in 2022.

Next year, the Annual Meeting & Exposition will go north of the border… more

During the recent Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau’s annual Destination Marketing Forum not only were the results of a year-long Visitor Profile Study discussed, but also digital marketing agency Bandy Carroll Hellige unveiled a new brand platform, logo and creative for marketing the city’s tourism initiatives.

In addition, Tempest Interactive gave a preview of a new web site that will go live in August and is being developed to replace GoToLouisville.com.

“Louisville is a city in transformation.  More than $1 Billion is being invested in developments ranging… more

The Anaheim Convention Center, the largest convention center on the West Coast, was awarded LEED Gold certification, a designation for sustainable-rated buildings.

The Anaheim Convention Center is the largest U.S. convention center to achieve LEED Gold certification. The honor follows the center’s earning of LEED certification in 2010.

“The Anaheim Convention Center is the West Coast’s premier gathering place with world-class facilities and neighboring attractions to match in the Anaheim Resort District,” said Tom Morton, executive director of Convention, Sports and… more

The 2016 Dwell on Design (DOD) Los Angeles conference ran June 24–26 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and saw great attendance for the show’s 11^h year.

“We have seen great growth and changes over the last 11 years,” said Michela O’Connor Abrams, CEO of Dwell. “This has been an amazing year for us, starting with the great partnership with UK based Informa. It is hard to believe we already have a year under our belt, and the new ownership has brought such collaboration and inspiration as a team. We are now looking at the show through a global lens, and targeting 2018 as… more

The International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) has selected Brad Mayne as its new president and CEO, effective July 19. Mayne also will serve as the president and CEO of the IAVM Foundation.

“Throughout his career, Brad has garnered respect from every facet of our industry,” said Karen Totaro, CFE, IAVM chair. “He has worked across sectors in various leadership roles, including within IAVM, which have earned him awards and praise. We are excited to have him take over the helm of IAVM.”

IAVM represents public assembly venues from around the globe. IAVM's active members… more

Meeting and convention-goers holding events in Cleveland just received a nice boost, with a new 600-room Hilton opening adjacent to the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland.

To celebrate the opening, Hilton Worldwide executives, Hilton Cleveland Downtown management and employees, city and county officials, community representatives and invited guests gathered last week for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception.

“The opening of Hilton Cleveland Downtown signifies not only a historic occasion for the city of Cleveland, but for Hilton Hotels & Resorts,” said Shawn… more

The Cobo Center’s green efforts are paying off, with the Detroit-based venue snagging the Sustainable Brands conference next year, which previously was held in San Diego.

“Sustainable Brands has been committed to reducing and managing the environmental impact of our flagship conference for years now and we are excited to be bringing our community to Cobo Center in May 2017,” said David Fiss, executive producer of Live Events at Sustainable Brands.

He added, “In 2013, we were the first event organizer in North America to achieve conformity to the ISO 20121 Standard requiring… more