News

May 05, 2022
In an effort to quantify the significant contribution made by the face-to-face business meetings and events sector to the global economy, the Events Industry Council (EIC) launched the data collection phase of its Economic Significance Study and revealed the results of its latest Global Business Events Barometer, showing positive signs for the industry’s recovery.  Conducted by Oxford Economics, the survey portion of the study is open through June 25 and applies to business meetings and events, including conventions, conferences, trade shows, exhibitions and incentives.  The ambitious… more
May 04, 2022
The future is beaming brighter for in-person professional meetings and events, with a recent Q1 2022 survey revealing that 84% of American business travelers expect to take at least one trip to attend conferences, conventions or trade shows in the next six months. The survey, which had more than 2,500 respondents, also found that less than one in 10 business travelers are uncertain if they would travel in the next six months and that business travelers expect to resume traveling at a slightly slower pace compared to pre-pandemic levels, averaging about 1.6 trips per month (compared to 1.7… more
May 03, 2022
There is no doubt that when a trade show goes the extra mile to make a positive difference in its host community, the impacts can be incredibly meaningful. Case in point: the 9th annual Design & Construction Week (DCW), held at the Orange County Convention Center Feb. 8-10, which generously donated $13,300 in leftover kitchen, bathroom, living room and outdoor items to an Orlando-area nonprofit with support from the venue’s sustainability coordinator.  As the largest in-person trade show to take place at the facility since the onset of the pandemic, the massive event consisted of two… more
May 02, 2022
Exclusively sponsored by Cadmium Cadmium simplifies the production of events and maximizes the value of online learning with a single, flexible platform designed to capture the chemistry of people, ideas, and knowledge. More than 900 content-driven organizations worldwide count on Cadmium technology for every step of event planning, delivery, and distribution. Let’s take a closer look at Cadmium’s award-winning event management software. For most, it all begins with EdgeReg—a powerful, flexible, and simple online registration solution. EdgeReg offers unprecedented modularity for simple and… more
May 02, 2022
As the trade show industry moves full speed ahead into a busier and more robust season, event-related companies and organizations across North America and beyond are busily forming new business partnerships, opening new offices and strengthening their market share via strategic acquisitions. Check them out! AUVSI The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) has partnered with Messe Düsseldorf North America Inc. (MDNA) to co-host XPONENTIAL, the world’s leading trade show for uncrewed systems and autonomy, to broaden its reach to user communities and new market entrants… more
Apr 29, 2022
Leading event management software provider MeetingPlay + Aventri released ExpoPRO, their first major product to be created since the two companies merged in January. The exhibitor task management platform is designed to offer a comprehensive solution for onsite, hybrid and virtual formats and aims to solve major pain points for event planners and exhibitors in the large-scale exhibition market. The company is confident that ExpoPRO will become a must-have tool for event organizers, exhibitors, and sponsors and set a new industry standard for large-scale events, according to Eric Lochner, CEO… more
Apr 28, 2022
Leading information services company Questex has repositioned and renamed its Event Operations Division. Now named Event Performance, the team supports Questex’s strategy of zeroing in on the experience economy with a laser focus on customer engagement at all touch points online and offline.  “As the world returns to live events, we are taking this opportunity to refocus and align our team with Questex’s commitment to ensuring the best customer experience,” said Kate Spellman, CMO of Questex. “In addition to our Q Activate platform, this change allows us to combine event and content… more
Apr 28, 2022
New York’s Javits Center buzzed with activity as vision care professionals converged at Vision Expo East 2022, held March 31-April 3. As the first Vision Expo to take place in New York City in three years, the annual four-day conference and trade show brought together thousands of enthusiastic eyecare and eyewear professionals from across the U.S. and the globe to reconnect with their peers, conduct business and take advantage of plentiful education and engaging programming.  “Following Vision Expo’s successful return to in-person shows at Vision Expo East 2021 in Orlando, and keeping the… more
Apr 26, 2022
Event industry suppliers, CVBs, marketing and tech companies throughout the U.S. and abroad are fine-tuning their departments and promoting team members as the industry continues its robust hiring and promoting trend. Take a look! Spiro   Spiro, the brand experiences agency within the GES collective, has named Carley Faircloth chief marketing officer, responsible for Spiro’s global brand launch and beyond.   Bringing extensive experience leading brand-building strategies in the events and experience sector, Faircloth previously spent just under six years at Freeman, most recently serving… more
Apr 25, 2022
Some people are fortunate enough to be born into their life’s calling. Chef Purvill Chaney is such a lucky individual. A consummate culinary professional who discovered his passion for cooking while working as a chef in his parents’ restaurants in his hometown of Flint, Mich., the budding chef wasted no time in embarking upon a professional career path in hospitality after college, cutting his teeth as a sous chef at a local Hyatt Regency. Since then, Chaney’s long and storied career has included more than 27 years with Hyatt at a dozen different locations in multiple cities followed by a 15-… more
Partner Voices
Located in beautiful North Carolina, Harrah’s Cherokee is the perfect mountain getaway with breathtaking views of the Great Smoky Mountains and new additions to its resort and conference spaces sure to elevate any meetings or event. Completed in 2021, Harrah’s Cherokee’s latest $330 million expansion project introduced an entirely new fourth hotel tower, The Cherokee, as well as an additional 83,000 square feet of meeting space with the Cherokee Convention Center. The Cherokee tower brings with it 725 rooms and 70 luxurious suites spread out over 19 floors for a grand total of 1,800 rooms across the entire resort. The new rooms feature a sleek design with an earth-toned color palette and modern amenities. In addition to the new rooms, the expansion also brought with it a luxurious new lobby and lobby bar, a fitness center, a coffee & pastry bar, and a second pool. Conventions, trade shows, banquets, receptions, and even the smallest, most intimate gatherings can find the perfect arrangement at Harrah’s Cherokee with its 130,000 square feet of flexible meeting space – including the Cherokee Convention Center. The resort offers a myriad of different spaces and configuration options for events, but the largest spaces include the following: 32,000-sq-ft Cherokee Convention Center ballroom with 22 meeting spaces 11,100-sq-ft Cherokee Convention Center ballroom pre-function space 33,000-sq-ft Cherokee Exhibit Hall 6,000-sq-ft Cherokee Exhibit Hall Pre-Function 13,801-sq-ft Council Fire Ballroom able to be reconfigured into as many as four ballrooms from 3,100 to 3,529-sq-ft each 16,815-sq-ft Event Center able to be configured in six different ways to accommodate 100 to 1,500 guests and offers four VIP suites, box seating, and more than 1,100 balcony seats. In addition to the new accommodations and meeting space, Harrah’s Cherokee has also opened several new restaurants as part of the expansion including Guy Fieri’s Cherokee Kitchen + Bar which includes the chef’s award-winning burgers and barbeque on the menu. Another celebrity chef has also made their mark on the resort with the opening of Gordon Ramsay Food Market which features eight dining concepts ranging from sushi to New York-style deli sandwiches and classic fine-dining fare. Longtime Asheville favorite, Wicked Weed Brewing Pub has also debuted a new location next to Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center creating the perfect after-event center with its bright and bold design, over thirty different beers, and live music on weekends. An easy drive from many of the largest cities in the Southeast, Harrah’s Cherokee provides the perfect blend of majestic mountainscapes, luxurious new accommodations, and authentic Native American culture.