With the subject of food safety in the news after various recalls across the United States, it’s no wonder the 18th Annual Food Safety Summit, held recently for the first time in Rosemont, attracted nearly 1,700 registered food safety professionals.

Attendance was a 12-percent increase in registered attendees, compared with last year’s event, and more than 200 exhibiting companies also were on the showfloor, a 20-percent increase from 2015. 

Forget early morning yoga. Though it’s a popular event at trade shows and conferences, it tends to in most cases to only attract a few die-hard enthusiasts, says Dr. Kim, president and CEO of X bytes, a byte-size wellness company.

A much better solution would be to focus on combatting mid-morning and mid-afternoon sitting fatigue with a fitness break. Going a step further? How about turning your networking meeting into a cycling class?

Candied bacon and cold beer were just some of the offerings that whet the appetites of attendees at the Reed Exhibitions’ National Hardware Show that took place May 5-7 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. A global gathering of products for DIY home improvement, the event spanned about 600,000 net sq. ft., similar to last year, and featured 2,800 exhibitors, including 700 first-timers. It’s expected to attract about 30,000 attendees.

Revenues for the Marketing & Events Division of Viad, which is Global Experience Specialists, dipped 8.1 percent in the first quarter of 2016 to $236.1 million, compared with $256.9 million during the same period in 2015.

“We saw lower year-over-year revenues during Q1 from corporate clients and short-term event bookings,” said Steve Moster, Viad’s president and CEO. “This was really due to a shift in timing, as we’re seeing stronger activity in the back half of 2016. “

For the first time in the event’s history, the Exhibition & Convention Executives Forum has sold out several weeks before it is set to run June 1 in Washington, D.C.

“ECEF has a waiting list for the first time in 15 years,” said Sam Lippman, president of Lippman Connects, producer of ECEF.

After more than 40 years as an event for association professionals and industry suppliers, the ASAE Springtime Expo will no longer be held, replaced instead with what is being called the Xperience Design Project

The Xperience Design Project is a two-day, business-focused experience for associations and industry partners at which participants will co-create solutions to shared challenges, as well as build meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships.

By Elizabeth Johnson

What if you had a tool that helped attendees navigate the showfloor so they can find exhibitors more easily; one that helped attendees connect with each other in more meaningful ways; and one that improves feedback on things such as session surveys? Sound good? Using technology, it doesn’t have to be a ‘what-if’.

Beacons - pieces of hardware that use battery friendly, low-energy Bluetooth signals to transmit messages to a smartphone or tablet - are revolutionizing attendee experiences.

Exposition Development Company (ExpoDevCo) and E.J. Krause & Associates (EJK) have teamed up to produce the 4^th edition of ExpoProducción Mexico, on tap March 29–31, 2017, at the World Trade Center in Mexico City, Mexico. 

The event is for the Apparel, Home, and Technical Textiles industries in Mexico and Central America. 

By Elizabeth Johnson

Whether you see eyewear as a fashion accessory or functional tool, you could find it on display on the floor of International Vision Expo East at New York’s Jacob J. Javits Center April 14-17. This year, the event celebrated its 30th anniversary.

“We held a champagne toast on Friday afternoon which gave a very celebratory feel to the opening of the show,” said Ashley Mills, vice president of Trade Shows & Meetings, The Vision Council.

The North American International Auto Show will be launch AutoMobili-D, a dedicated exposition focused on the rapidly evolving global automotive and mobility landscape.

Spearheaded by NAIAS, AutoMobili-D will run in conjunction with the 2017 auto show this coming January in Detroit and will feature more than 100 companies, including automakers, tier one suppliers and tech startups.