News
Mar 23, 2014
At the recent IAEE DC Chapter’s luncheon meeting, a2z’s vice president of Professional Services, Angi Carr, shared some important strategies for multi-year and multi-event attendee engagement. Here are the key insights from her presentation:
Know what engages and re-engages your attendees
Events are not just about products, services and education. In fact, they are mostly about people. To know what draws your audience, focus on what’s important to them, and what brings them to your event.
Provide smart, integrated tools
Provide solutions that are easy… more
Mar 19, 2014
Open footprints, deeply integrated technology and fast follow-ups defined the experience at EXHIBITOR2014 that brought together trade show and event professionals March 16-20 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
The star of the show? A giant Earth Harp at the Global Experience Specialists’ booth that lured attendees to the back of the hall. The moment William Close of the Earth Harp Collective touched the strings rigged to the ceiling, attendees whipped out their cellphones to record and share.
Since the instrument took up pretty much the entire exhibit, the GES booth… more
Mar 18, 2014
Reed Exhibitions has scooped up two shows in Mexico - Expo Beauty Show and Expo Lighting America Show – expanding its portfolio in the country even more.
The combined events attract more than 300 exhibitors and 70,000 attendees each year and occupy more than 20,000 net square meters of annual exhibit space in Mexico City.
The two new events join Reed's existing portfolio in - Expo Seguridad (acquired in 2011) that runs April 8-19 in Mexico City and Expo Ferretera (acquired in 2013) that runs Aug. 28-30 in Guadalajara.
Last May, Reed also acquired Expo Nacional Ferretera,… more
Mar 18, 2014
Cleveland Chosen as Host City for the 5th Annual 2014 TSNN Awards: Celebrating Trade Show Excellence
Trade Show News Network is pleased to announce Cleveland has been chosen as the host city for the 5th Annual 2014 TSNN Awards: Celebrating Trade Show Excellence.
More than 50 show organizers from the fastest-growing events in the United States will be feted during the three-day weekend event Nov. 14-16 (www.T-awards.com).
“We are very excited to bring the 2014 TSNN Awards to Cleveland,” said TSNN President Rachel Wimberly. “We have no doubt that the award winners will be very impressed with everything the city has to offer as a high-value trade show destination.”… more
Mar 17, 2014
Each year, the U.S. Travel Association and the American Society of Association Executives sponsor separate fly-ins to Washington, D.C., during which hundreds of travel and association professionals meet face-to-face with legislators on Capitol Hill to discuss issues important to them.
Dubbed “Destination Capitol Hill”, U.S. Travel held its second annual fly-in Feb. 24-27, and nearly 300 travel professionals had 275 meetings with members of Congress.
Among the fly-in participants were several convention and visitors bureau executives, including Steve Moore, president and CEO of… more
Mar 17, 2014
Attendees spend an estimated $44.8 billion and exhibitors spend an estimated $24.5 billion at events, according research compiled by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research.
This research documents the substantial contribution business-to-business exhibitions make to the U.S. economy through attendee and exhibitor direct spending.
For the first time, CEIR commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers to quantify attendee and exhibitor direct spend estimates based on data compiled as a part of an interim update of The Economic Significance of Meetings to the U.S. Economy Study. This data, along… more
Mar 17, 2014
The medical association sector has been busy signing on plenty of new business contracts recently, ranging from management to registration and lead retrieval services.
The Healthcare & Billing Management Association (HBMA) announced it has selected SmithBucklin as its new association management partner. In addition, Andre Williams has joined the company and will serve as HBMA's executive director. HBMA's headquarters now are in Washington, D.C.
"HBMA provides tremendous value to its members, and leadership is dedicated to seeing that value maximized in the future. We trust… more
Mar 16, 2014
Transitioning from his role as interim president and CEO of NYC & Company, Fred Dixon has been named the city convention and visitors bureau’s new president and CEO.
Dixon will replace George Fertitta, who stepped down Jan. 1 after joining the bureau in 2006.
“Fred’s been such a star since he joined New York City & Company,” said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. “And I don’t know about you; the Southern charm definitely works … As I’ve spent time with him, I became as convinced as everyone on the board that this was the right man… more
Mar 16, 2014
Returning to Las Vegas was a lucky charm for Hanley Wood Exhibitions’ 2014 International Roofing Expo, which saw record-breaking attendance Feb. 26-28 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
The show drew a total attendance of 9,568, a 13-percent increase, compared with the 2013 show in San Antonio, and a 20-percent increase in verified attendees, compared with 2013.
“With a fresh sense of optimism and excitement, the 2014 International Roofing Expo drew the largest attendance in the show’s history,” said Tracy Garcia, IRE show director.
She added, "In addition… more
Mar 16, 2014
Trade Show and expo organizers always are striving to make their exhibitor and attendee experience run smoothly. They take great pains to make the event registration process as painless as possible. In many cases, the online registration process takes just minutes.
But it doesn’t end there for the attendees and exhibitors. Now, they have to start the laborious task of booking flights, arranging ground transportation and booking dinner reservations for meetings with clients or team dinners.
AttendBee, an online concierge service, steps up to eliminate much of that frustration.… more
Partner Voices
Overview:
The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality.
In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way.
“We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.”
Amenities:
The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.
The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience
The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need.
Gold Key Members
The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events.
OCCC Events:
This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.
The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:
AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023
200,000 Attendees
$257 Million in Economic Impact
MEGACON 2023
160,000 Attendees
$205 Million in Economic Impact
Open Championship Series 2023
69,500 Attendees
$89 Million in Economic Impact
Sunshine Classic 2023
42,000 Attendees
$54 Million in Economic Impact
Premiere Orlando 2023
42,000 Attendees
$108 Million in Economic Impact