While some industries tend to slow down in the summer, apparently the trade show industry hasn’t gotten the memo. A host of event organizers, vendors and venues have been busily forming new business partnerships and extending existing ones. Here are a few highlights:

U.S. B2B trade show operator Emerald Expositions has signed a deal with event research firm Explori to join the Explori research platform, which allows global event organizers, agencies and marketers to capture event audience feedback from any market in any language. 

“Explori works with over 2,700 trade, consumer and corporate events globally which are all contributing to the world’s biggest dataset of event performance benchmarks,” said Richard Kensett, commercial director for Explori. “We’re delighted to be partnering with Emerald and are looking forward to helping the team achieve their goals by generating deeper insights and supporting the strategic development of their assets.”

In a push to further develop its more than 60 shows, Emerald will be using Explori to benchmark and monitor customer experience through event analytics, according to Emerald officials.

“We believe that excellent customer experience is at the heart of driving a flourishing events business and delivering customer value,” said Brian Field, COO of Emerald. “Explori’s trove of benchmarking information – coupled with an ability to quickly analyze information about our customers’ experiences – will provide us powerful tools to deliver data-driven insights and support customer-led improvements.” 

Centerplate Extends Hospitality Contract with NOLA Venues 

Hospitality food and beverage services provider Centerplate has signed a multi-year contract extension with Mercedes-Benz Superdome, home to the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, and Smoothie King Center, home to the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. 

“We are extraordinarily proud of our teams, our city, and the talented members of our professional culinary and service staff, and we are excited to continue as the exclusive hospitality provider at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Smoothie King Center and Champions Square,” said Steve Trotter, Centerplate regional vice president.

As the exclusive hospitality partner to myriad sports stadiums, convention centers and entertainment venues across North America, Centerplate creates menus at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and Smoothie King arena known for their flavorful, authentic southern and Creole dishes. 

MCI USA Inks Multi-Year Deal With Greater New York Dental Association

MCI USA has signed a multi-year partnership agreement with the Greater New York Dental Association for housing, registration and lead cultivation services starting with the Greater New York Dental Meeting taking place Nov. 29-Dec. 4 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. 

GNYDA expects to draw more than 52,000 attendees to the event, including more than 10,000 overseas visitors from 146 countries and 650 exhibiting companies spanning 1600 booths.   

CompuSystems Adds SupplySide West to Client Base

CompuSystems has been selected by Informa Exhibitions to provide registration, data analytics and lead retrieval for 2019 SupplySide West, set for Oct. 15-19 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. 

Known as the world’s largest ingredients and supply chain expo in the world for the food, beverage, supplement and sports nutrition industries, the show connects manufacturers with a global range of ingredient suppliers and distributors and showcases more than 10,000 of the industry’s latest ingredients and solutions.

“We’re thrilled to add SupplySide West to our ever-growing list of shows,” said Jen Mitchell, senior vice president of sales and service at CompuSystems. “We look forward to continuing our long-standing relationship with Informa Exhibitions by providing our unparalleled, world-class service, as we do for all of our clients.” 

American College of Cardiology to Return to The Big Easy

The American College of Cardiology, which held its annual meeting at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans last March, will be returning to the Crescent City in 2023. Already slated for a 2026 repeat visit, ACC was so impressed by the experience the venue and the city provided that it also opted to rebook for the earlier dates.  

According to ENMCC officials, the ACC.19 meeting attracted 18,500 people, generating almost $22 million in economic impact for the city of New Orleans. 

“There is no way to understate the role that the Convention Center played in this decision,” said Michael Sawaya, ENMCC president. 

He added, “On a daily basis, while the event was underway, the client and their 20-plus contracted vendors expressed how great the event was going. Our commitment to providing the best possible customer service is the reason why we have so much success drawing excellent clients like the ACC to our city.”  

Convention Data Services Adds New Partnerships

Convention Data Services has been selected by ASI Show to provide registration, lead management and integrations for its promotional products trade shows in Orlando, Fort Worth and Chicago, and the ASI Roadshows for three years through 2022.

“The services that [CDS provides] will enhance the user experience for both attendees and exhibitors,” said Rita Ugianskis, ASI Show senior vice president and general manager.

She added, “Also, the technology integration between CDS and ASI will provide additional tools to help our members with their business. We look forward to working with them for the next three years.” 

The School Nutrition Association has extended its partnership with CDS for three years through 2023, during which CDS will provide full-service registration, lead management and integrations for the association’s Annual National Conference.

“We are very happy with the level of service that CDS has provided to SNA, especially during the initial integration,” said Patricia Montague, CEO of SNA, which represents 58,000 members. “We are delighted to renew our agreement and continue this successful partnership.” 

Meanwhile, the Association for Manufacturing Technology also extended its partnership with CDS for three years through 2022. CDS will provide registration, lead management, integrations and contact call center for the biennial IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show.

“As the premier showcase for advancements in manufacturing, IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show makes it a point to partner with leading innovators,” said Michelle Edmonson, AMT senior director of exhibitions operations & marketing. “We are pleased to extend our affiliation with CDS as they continue to be the leader in registration technology, data strategies and customer service.” 

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