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in case you missed it
BizBash came to CES and rounded up some of the most amazing events and booths from the highly anticipated tech trade show. We even dive into Walmart’s impressive two-story structure and why the big-box retailer is hoping to make its presence known this year.
Over the past month, in our conferences and trade show vertical, we’ve also explored some of the best ways to engage with first-time attendees at annual events and how to successfully partner with DMCs, and we even interviewed TED’s new chief Project and strategy officers, find out what newly created roles require event planners are increasingly recognized as business leaders and revenue drivers. Finally, we had the opportunity to travel to Banff and Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies, where we learned about all the wonderful winter ways that event professors run programs there.
Here are five more things you should know about this month…
1. Meeting planners continue to choose secondary destinations to reduce costs.
Earlier this month, Knowland released its January Meetings and Events Growth Report, which illustrates a trend we’ve seen recently: meeting planners continue to choose secondary destinations to reduce costs. For example, the report found that the top 25 markets of Nashville grew 16.1% annually, while Lexington, Ky., saw growth as high as 76.4%.
Other secondary markets with significant growth in the report include:
- Syracuse, NY (+34.6%)
- Richmond-Petersburg, Virginia (+33.4%)
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (+29.1%)
- Louisville, Kentucky (+24.1%)
2. The NAMM Show returns to January dates in a big way.
This year, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show, one of Anaheim’s largest B2B conferences, returned to its usual January date for the first time since 2020. Following events in April 2023 and June 2022 (all virtual in 2021), NAMM Show 2024 will be held again at the Anaheim Convention Center from January 25-28. The attendance speaks for itself.
The 2024 show welcomed more than 62,000 attendees, including more than 10,000 international guests from 125 countries, regions and territories. This is up from 48,000 in 2023. Other notable numbers: More than 1,600 exhibitors representing more than 3,500 brands.
“NAMM 2024 is happening in every way possible, from artists performing on the show’s multiple stages, to executives and emerging industry leaders delivering key messages inside the convention center, and hundreds of global brands announcing new visions, products and partnership,” said Tom Sumner, NAMM Chairman and President of Yamaha Music America, in a press release.
He continued: “We are excited to continue to bring the industry together every January, creating the world’s largest opportunity to come together and do business.”
3. The first ever Restaurant Industry Conference will be held in Philadelphia this April.
For one weekend in April, some of the biggest names in food are coming to the City of Brotherly Love. The Chef Conference will make its debut this year, April 12-15, at several restaurants, hotels and event venues across the city, including The Study in College Station. It will spotlight a diverse lineup of chefs, journalists and experts who will connect around a shared vision to improve the restaurant industry.
Founded by Mike Traud and hosted by Visit Philadelphia and Resy, Chefs Conference’s main event will be a panel day featuring keynotes, panel discussions and intimate “Trailblazer Talks” (a series of in-depth, one-on-one discussions). A conversation with industry leaders).Speakers include chef, author and television host Andrew Zimmern; top boss Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons served as judges. The new event is an outgrowth of the Philadelphia Chefs Conference, which Troud founded.
There will also be a series of programs open to the public – pop-up dinners, reading events and happy hours – featuring their own celebrity chef talents.
4. ESPA announces new president and board members.
In late January, the Event Services Professionals Association (ESPA) welcomed Dominique Bonds as its new president, along with several new board members, at its 2024 annual meeting in Indianapolis. Bonds is the Director of Engagement at the Penn Convention Center, where she manages the venue’s DEI initiatives, talent engagement and guest experience.
“I am committed to ensuring that ESPA is an organization that reflects the hospitality industry and promotes the spirit and reality of diversity,” she said in a statement. “I am also committed to continuing to support our targeted marketing efforts and explore ways to Our reach extends beyond traditional organizations. As the author of the DEI Guidelines and Accessibility Toolkit, I want to ensure that ESPA also reflects these principles when hosting its own events and programming.”
New board members and officers include Zach Davis of Louisville Tourism, Patrick Coit of Meet Boston, Joelle Oliphant of Biltmore Corporation, Molly Sayre of Arlington CVB husband and Adrienne Terry of Chattanooga Tours.
5. Visit Anaheim launches a local workforce development program.
Speaking of Anaheim, the Southern California DMO recently launched a new program designed to inspire students to pursue careers in the tourism and hospitality industry. Visit Anaheim’s workforce development program will travel to 15 different high schools in Anaheim and Garden Grove, where business leaders from local hotels, event venues, transportation companies and more will share their personal career path stories directly with students.
“By fostering connections and providing mentorship, workforce development is closing the gap between our industry and our communities,” Christina Dawson, Visit Anaheim’s senior vice president of operations, said in a release. “This program will inspire students to pursue careers in tourism and Pursue careers in hospitality while developing a skilled and diverse future workforce.”
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