Tuesday, July 16, 2024
In Case You Missed It
Since our last Meetings and Trade Shows recap, BizBash has covered major business events like
Google’s 2024 I/O developer conference—which was packed with announcements and artificial intelligence demos—and fintech conference
Money20/20 Europe, which featured a standout stage design that merged technology and nature, rewards for moments of connection, and more than 200 content sessions and 100 speakers.
We also looked into ways to
turn one-time event guests into annual attendees and awesome
after-hours activities for business groups. Finally, BizBash headed north to
Western Montana, where we discovered all the engaging places and nature-filled activities fit for meetings and events.
Here are five more things you should know about this month...
1. Destinations International's Annual Convention takes place this week.
More than 2,000 tourism and event professionals will descend on Tampa, Fla., this week for Destinations International's Annual Convention, its flagship event, taking place today through July 18 at the JW Marriott and Tampa Marriott Water Street.
“This year's Annual Convention underscores the critical role of destination organizations in fostering community engagement, resilience, and destination stewardship," DI President and CEO
Don Welsh said in a statement. "We're deeply grateful to Santiago Corrada and the entire Visit Tampa Bay team for their warm hospitality and partnership, ensuring this will be an unforgettable experience for all attendees.”
This year's keynote speaker—fit for the 2024 event's theme of personal and professional growth—is Arthur Brooks, a Harvard professor specializing in leadership and happiness who's written 13 books, including recent No. 1
New York Times bestseller
Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier, which he co-authored with Oprah Winfrey.
2. Maritz acquires CDS.
On July 1, meeting and event management giant Maritz acquired Convention Data Services (CDS), an event registration, on-site, and lead services provider, from global events company Freeman. Maritz is now poised to be the dominant player in registration, housing, lead retrieval, on-site support, and data services for some of the largest U.S. trade shows and business events.
“By adding this new portfolio of clients from CDS, Maritz significantly increases our share of the market and positions us well for the future,” Maritz President and CEO
David Peckinpaugh said in a press release. “This acquisition exemplifies our commitment to supporting association and trade show events through this era of shifting attendee expectations and behaviors.”
Peckinpaugh told TSNN, a sister publication of BizBash, that this deal "shows a further investment into this space, a commitment to association and trade shows." He added that the acquisition should bring no disruptions to current Maritz or CDS clients.
“The industry will continue to receive the outstanding experience they’ve come to expect from both organizations,” CDS President
Darren Phalen said in a statement. “We’re excited to share more about how our combined expertise will benefit association and trade show organizers. With so much talent in one organization, we will lead industry innovation to help solve some of the biggest challenges facing the events industry.”
Read more from Peckinpaugh on TSNN
here.
3. Exhibitor Group's David DuBois announces retirement.
Earlier this month,
David DuBois announced his retirement; he's been serving as president of Exhibitor Group since October 2023, after stepping down from his role as president of IAEE in April 2023.
"It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as the president of Exhibitor Group," DuBois said in a press release. "I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together as a team. I have been fortunate to work with some of the most talented and passionate individuals in the industry, and I am confident that Exhibitor Group will continue to thrive and innovate in the years to come."
An industry veteran of more than 45 years, DuBois has served in both for-profit and nonprofit roles spanning hospitality, event marketing, exhibitions, education, and trade shows. A press release from Exhibitor Group did not disclose details of who will replace DuBois.
4. PCMA's new VP will lead AI initiatives.
If you needed more proof that AI is going to impact the event industry: PCMA recently announced that
Chantal Sturk-Nadeau, a tourism industry professional and former PCMA board member, joined PCMA as vice president of Spark and PCMA Insights. Spark is a joint venture between PCMA and Gevme and an AI tool "developed by event profs for event profs." PCMA Insights is the association's consulting practice.
"I am passionate about redefining technology tools to drive business impact and create powerful efficiencies in the dynamic business events environment and look forward to working with industry leaders in this realm," Sturk-Nadeau
wrote on LinkedIn.
PCMA announced Spark during the 2024 edition of PCMA Convening Leaders back in January. PCMA President and CEO
Sherrif Karamat shared that the project, overall, aims to shed light on the evolving place of AI in the business event industry. PCMA and CEMA members have access to the free AI tool.
Sturk-Nadeau previously served as executive director of business events for Destination Canada, as well as senior vice president for Tourism Winnipeg.
5. Las Vegas leads in meetings growth (again).
Knowland, a provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, reported that Las Vegas took the lead in meeting volume growth in June, with a 22.2% increase for the month year-over-year (YoY). Sports entertainment jumped into the top five industry segments for Las Vegas in June, joining national associations, technology, training/education, and weddings.
Following Las Vegas, rounding out the top five markets by YoY growth in event volume are St. Louis (12%); Nashville, Tenn. (6.8%); Orlando, Fla. (2.8%); and Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla. (2.2%).
—With additional reporting by Lisa Plummer Savas