The winter thaw finally has occurred in some parts of the United States and that includes a flurry of new business contracts being signed in the past few months.

The Massachusetts Dental Society extended its contract with its preferred registration partner, Convention Data Services, through 2017.

Under the agreement, CDS will continue to provide full registration services, membership integration, CEU application, lead management and exhibitor services for the annual Yankee Dental Congress.

Running a large facility with thousands of visitors coming through can be a challenge in the middle of one of the most severe droughts on record in the state of California, but that’s the daily reality for the Los Angeles Convention Center.

As a result, LACC officials have implemented several water conservation measures, as well as partnered with LA Green.

“Environmental sustainability is an area of critical importance for the Los Angeles Convention Center,” said Brad Gessner, senior vice president of AEG Facilities and General Manager of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International has rebranded its industry event for unmanned systems, drones and robotics to Xponential. 

With nearly 600 exhibitors and 8,000 attendees, AUVSI's event attracts leaders in all aspects of the industry, from manufacturers to end users. 

"Xponential encapsulates the tremendous growth and innovation in the unmanned systems industry, as well as the broad societal benefits of the technology," said Brian Wynne, president and CEO of AUVSI. 

The International Association of Exhibitions and Events’ Public Events Council recently released the “Public Events Industry Report: 2014 Results” that covered 22 different sectors.

“The Public Events Industry Report, now in its sixth year, demonstrates that public events are performing as or better than expected," said IAEE President & CEO David DuBois, CMP, CAE, FASAE, CTA.

A new association for women who are in the events industry, aptly called the Association of Women in Events, recently launched to connect and empower women in the meetings and events industry.

Founded by Carrie Abernathy, Tamela Blalock, Mas Tadesse Harris, Mary Higham and Kiki Janssens, AWE is a national association based in Washington, D.C., and officially launched March 30.  

Outdoor Retailer and Surf Expo, both part of Emerald Exposition’s portfolio, have partnered with the StandUp Paddle Industry Association (SUPIA).

The 2015 AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) Annual Meeting and Exhibition, held April 18–22 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, highlighted the latest, most exciting discoveries in every area of cancer research.

The annual meeting attracted a record-breaking 19,250 attendees, which was up 4 percent from last year’s meeting held in San Diego.

In 2014, San Diego Convention Center diverted 60 percent of all event waste, approximately 1,120 tons, from local landfills, setting a new record. The effort is part of the City of San Diego’s initiative to reach 75 percent diversion by 2020 and zero waste by 2040.

Nearly 3,000 meeting and industry professionals recently gathered to attend two American Society of Association Executives events: Springtime Expo, April 8-9 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., and ASAE Foundation’s Annual Springtime DC Golf & Tennis Invitational April 10 at Lansdowne Resort.

The Springtime Expo’s total number of participants included 1,500 attendees and 1,370 exhibiting personnel with 348 companies occupying 468 booths on the showfloor. The Buyer/Seller ratio was 52 percent buyers to 48 percent sellers.

At the 2015 Society of Independent Show Organizers’ 25^th anniversary meeting, held April 13-16 at The Sanctuary on Kiawah, Island, S.C., the sessions tackled several heady subjects, including what keeps the CEOs of these for-profit trade show companies up at night?

That question was the part of the first session that kicked off the annual event, which was led by Tarsus Group Managing Director Douglas Emslie and included Britton Jones, president and CEO of Business Journals, Inc.; Sally Shankland, CEO of UBM Americas; and Russell Wilcox, CEO of Clarion Group.