The first quarter of 2019 is off to a roaring start, with event companies and suppliers far and wide renewing partnerships and signing new business contracts.

The Dallas City Council approved a five-year contract with Spectra Venue Management to manage the day-to-day client and facility operations of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas, effective Feb. 13.

Spectra, an Atairos-owned and Comcast-backed events management and promotion company, will implement its best practices over an initial 45-day transition period, with the goal of reducing costs, increasing revenues and achieving measurable improvements in the KBHCCD’s financial performance, customer service and facility quality, according to Joey Zapata, assistant city manager.

Spectra currently operates 174 facilities, including 45 convention centers and 56 arenas.

“Spectra is honored and excited to have been selected as venue manager for [KBHCCD],” said Spectra President John Wentzell. “We look forward to partnering with the city of Dallas to customize growth strategies to continue elevating the convention center as a premier destination for major meetings and conventions.”  

Overall responsibility for finances, contract management and capital improvements will remain under the leadership of Convention and Event Services Interim Director Rosa Fleming, who will lead creation of a convention center master plan designed to enhance client experience, promote public transportation and activate the convention center campus by creating outdoor spaces and placemaking that promote walkability and connectivity.

The New Year had barely begun before registration, data management and lead retrieval services provider, CompuSystems (CSI) was awarded extended contracts with ALM Media and the Entertainment Software Association, the latter of whose events are managed by Dolaher Events.

CSI will provide registration, data analytics and lead retrieval services for both the LegalTech New York (ALM Media) and E3 (ESA) shows.

“We’re very excited and pleased to announce these renewals,” said CSI President Chris Williams. “ALM and ESA, along with Dolaher Events, have been excellent partners with us over the years, and we’re happy to keep the relationship moving forward.”

Not long after this deal, the Association for Talent Development became CSI’s newest client when it signed on to a partnership for the next three years.

CSI will provide registration, data analytics and lead retrieval services for a pair of shows: ATD Techknowledge and ATD International Conference & Expo.

The American Association for Cancer Research has also extended its contract with CSI, which will provide registration, data analytics and lead retrieval services for AACR’s Annual Meeting, as well as provide services for the association’s Molecular Targets show.

More recently, CSI was awarded extended contracts with the American College of Surgeons, which has been working with the company for 20 years, and the Optical Society (OSA), which has partnered with CSI for six years.

As part of the multi-year deals, CSI will provide registration, data analytics and lead retrieval services for a total of 10 of shows, including ACS’s Clinical Congress and OSA’s Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO).

Event registration, business intelligence and lead management provider, Convention Data Services, has been busy securing a lion’s share of business with new and existing clients.

Right after the start of the new year, CDS renewed a five-year contract with the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, for which it provides online and on-site registration and lead retrieval services for the AAPM Annual Meeting. Additionally, CDS provides a separate exhibitor registration portal and contact center.

Shortly after, Randall-Reilly selected CDS for a two-year contract through to provide registration, lead management and integrations for the Great American Trucking Show.

“Our new partnership with CDS will provide us with richer analytics from our registration data. This will play a vital role in effectively allocating our marketing spend,” said Stacy McCants, vice president of events at Randall-Reilly.

On the heels of this new deal, the American Society of Human Genetics renewed its contract for two years through 2020 with CDS, which will provide full-service registration, integrations and lead management for the annual ASHG Meeting.

This was followed by another two-year partnership renewal with the American Association of Law Libraries, which has worked with CDS for 19 years. The company will provide registration, lead management and integrations for the AALL Annual Meeting & Conference.

More recently, CDS was selected by Gardner Business Media to provide registration, lead management and integrations for the Precision Machining Technology Show and Amerimold for four years through 2021.

Additionally, CDS will provide self-registration for GBM’s smaller shows, including Extrusion and Additive Manufacturing Conference.

“CDS and GBM have worked together previously on other industry shows such as the International Manufacturing Technology Show and NPE: The Plastics Show,” said David Lawton, chief strategy officer for CDS. “Our attendee acquisition and lead retrieval products are well-suited to address the GBM strategic goals of increasing event attendance and offering robust solutions to exhibitors.”

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society has tapped association management and services company SmithBucklin to provide the association with a complete management solution.

“We feel very privileged to have the opportunity to serve HFES,” said David Schmahl, executive vice president and chief executive of SmithBucklin’s Healthcare + Scientific Industry Practice. “We’re energized by the caliber of volunteers and stakeholders engaged in serving HFES and the expanded application of human factors and ergonomics in our society.”

Orange County, Fla. has renewed its food and beverage partnership with Centerplate at the Orange County Convention Center, with which the company has worked for the last decade.

The new four-year contract includes two options to extend – first for four years and again for an additional three years.

CSI Boston, the New England regional office of CSI DMC, has been selected as the in-house partner destination and event management company for the Westin Boston Waterfront, connected to Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

“With an in-house team dedicated to Westin Boston Waterfront, we will be in a position to offer high-touch, individualized service at every level of engagement,” said David Hainline, CEO of CSI DMC. “This is a great opportunity for our talented team to work seamlessly with the hotel team to achieve mutually beneficial results: achieve client goals and continue to deliver excellence at every step.”

In late January, The Netherlands-based exhibition and convention center and global exhibition organizer Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs Group selected Ungerboeck as the software solution to manage its venues and events.

The tech platform will be used for exhibition planning, exhibitor management, exhibitor portal, venue bookings, venue management, exhibitor web shop and customer relationship management.

“We are delighted to announce that we will be implementing Ungerboeck’s comprehensive event technology platform, which will provide us with streamlined operations and increased productivity while being adaptive enough to meet our specific needs,” said Albert Arp, CEO of  Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs Group.

Trade shows, meetings and conventions producer NTP Events will manage exhibit and sponsorship sales and exhibitor marketing campaigns for American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists’ Annual Meeting, PharmSci 360.

Set for Nov. 3-6 at Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, PharmSci 360 attracts mid- to high-level managers and executives in industry, government and academic settings focused on the latest tools, technologies, strategies and techniques that can immediately impact their research and advance their work.

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