Oct 27, 2023
With a network of over 185 members across the U.S. and Canada, the Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA) is preparing for a new era as Julie Kagy assumes the role of executive director, taking over from the retiring Larry Arnaudet, effective Jan. 1.
Arnaudet, a veteran with more than five decades of experience in the meetings and conventions industry, will be stepping down from his role as executive director. His retirement marks the end of an illustrious career, characterized by his invaluable contributions to ESCA and his unwavering dedication to its mission.
ESCA… more
Oct 26, 2023
Weeks before Web Summit is set to welcome 70,000 attendees to Portugal, the event’s founder and CEO Paddy Cosgrave resigned on Oct. 21 amid backlash for his social media posts suggesting Israel was committing war crimes. A number of major exhibiting companies — including Intel, Meta, Google and Siemens — pulled out of the trade show, even after Cosgrave released a blog post denouncing the Hamas attacks and apologizing for his personal tweets that triggered the firestorm.
The company, which also produces Collision Conference in North America, will appoint a new CEO, and Web Summit will go… more
Oct 24, 2023
UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, is gearing up to present its 90th UFI Global Congress in Las Vegas, and there are myriad offerings on tap for participants to look forward to. Not only will this largest annual gathering of global exhibition leaders take place in the U.S. for the first time, but it will also mark its first return to North America since 1972, when the event was held in Toronto.
Set for Nov. 1-4 at the ARIA Resort & Casino and hosted by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), the event will feature a bevy of high-value offerings,… more
Oct 23, 2023
Two leading trade shows dedicated to the utility construction and manufacturing industries pulled off successful, record-setting editions in Louisville, Ky. and Chicago recently.
FABTECH
FABTECH — a North American event for metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing — wrapped up a four-day run in Chicago with significant milestones for attendance, exhibitors and show floor size.
Held Sept. 11-14 at McCormick Place, FABTECH 2023 welcomed 40,505 attendees from across the globe — a 26% year-over-year gain in attendance compared to the 2022 event in Atlanta and a 40% increase compared… more
Oct 20, 2023
Internal and customer meetings are predicted to be a driving force behind the meetings and events industry’s growth in 2024, as organizations focus on building relationships and achieving objectives within their dispersed workforces, according to the 13th Annual Global Meetings and Events Forecast, produced by American Express GBT Meetings & Events.
The 2024 Forecast, a result of surveys of more than 500 global meetings and events professionals and insights from industry leaders conducted in June and July 2023, reveals several key trends and expectations for next year.
Highlights… more
Oct 19, 2023
Following COVID, the pent-up demand for in-person events and experiences has reached new highs. Artists like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter are cashing in – big time.
With $579 million in revenue, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour will go down in history as the highest-grossing tour by a female artist of all time, according to Forbes – at least until The Eras Tour by Swift concludes on Nov. 23, 2024, in Toronto. It’s estimated the tour will generate $1.4 billion in gross revenue, according to Pollstar.
With soaring revenues and big production budgets, these B2C experiences highlight… more
Oct 18, 2023
Exclusively sponsored by Honeycomb Strategies
When Honeycomb Strategies talks to planners and venues about sustainability, the first challenge we hear about is cost. Naturally, to start up any operational change requires investment. But it’s a myth that sustainability is more expensive than operations-as-normal. In fact, we’re increasingly seeing cost savings from sustainable practices both in the short and long term.
Let’s start with some sustainable solutions with short-term benefits for event planners. To reduce energy costs, contract with venues that have undergone improvements and… more
Oct 17, 2023
Two industry veterans — Robyn Duda and Marco Giberti — have teamed up to launch RacquetX, a B2B conference with a B2C component for all racquet sports under one roof. Debuting March 24–26, 2024, in Miami during the middle weekend of the Miami Open, RacquetX is hoping to capitalize on the recent boom in racquet sports including tennis, pickleball, padel, squash, table tennis and more.
“Tennis has experienced a 33% boom in participation since 2020,” said Duda. “Pickleball is taking North America by storm with the number of people playing growing by 59% over three years, reaching a total of 8.… more
Oct 16, 2023
For the attendees and exhibitors of Toy Fair, North America’s largest trade show and conference for the $40 billion toy industry, there’s no place like its home in the Big Apple for more than a century. After The Toy Association announced on Oct. 1 that it was moving the Toy Fair from New York’s Javits Center to the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center for three years starting in 2026, the association quickly reversed course when faced with overwhelming community outrage. The Toy Fair will stay in New York City in its traditional Q1 time frame, returning March 1-4, 2025, to the… more
Oct 13, 2023
The Events Industry Council (EIC), the global voice of the business events industry, recently unveiled its Q2 2023 Global Events Barometer, which reveals a second consecutive quarterly uptick in hotel room nights and business event requests for proposals (RFPs).
The 2023 Global Economic Significance of Business Events Study, which EIC released in May, demonstrated the ongoing recovery of global business events from the impact of the pandemic. A vital aspect of this study involves understanding the industry’s recovery trajectory and its future direction, according to EIC officials.
A… more
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