There is a lot of noise and competition out there, which means it’s getting more and more challenging for brands to really stand out and catch the attention that they need.

Two convention cities have been busy planning new event spaces and beautification projects to attract even more group business to their respective destinations.  

The City of Las Vegas and International Market Centers, owners and operators of World Market Center Las Vegas, have set their sights on developing a new 350,000 square foot Expo Center in downtown Las Vegas adjacent to the WMC.

Lance Fensterman has been promoted to president of Global ReedPOP, the rapidly growing pop culture division of Reed Exhibitions that he helped to conceive and launch.

Thanks to Lance’s vision and leadership, ReedPOP has become the leading producer of pop culture events in the world, and is the fastest-growing portfolio within Reed Exhibitions, according to company officials.

For the first time in Freeman’s 90-year history, a non-family member was named its fourth CEO – Bob Priest-Heck.

“We are focused on building our clients’ brands and helping them succeed in a dynamic environment by creating meaningful brand experiences that help build relationships and drive clear and measurable outcomes,” said Joe Popolo, CEO of The Freeman Company, the newly created parent company that encompasses Freeman, Encore Event Technologies and Alford Media.

Robots sparring with light sabers, t-shirts printed on the spot for a good cause, genetic testing companies and lots and lots of AR and VR were just a few of the highlights at the South by Southwest (SXSW) main trade show that ran March 11-14 at the Austin (Texas) Convention Center.

Michael Fetter has been hired as the director of marketing in the Marketing Communications department for the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Before coming to the bureau, Fetter was a media buyer for Bandy Carroll Hellige (BCH), as well as a marketing manager for Phoenix Process Equipment Company where he oversaw all strategic marketing and communications plans.

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has selected Grapevine, Texas, as the destination for its World Education Congress (WEC) in 2020.

The association will collaborate with the Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau to host the conference, which is scheduled for June 6–9, 2020, at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center.

Grapevine is centrally located between Fort Worth and Dallas, where MPI is headquartered.

The Association for Women in Events (AWE), a not-for-profit organization supporting gender equality and diversity in the event industry, has launched 2018 nominations for its Hall of Fame Recognition Program, hosted by the AWE Awards Committee.

“Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is a lifetime honor,” said Marie-Claire Andrews, AWE board member and chair of the AWE Awards Committee. “It doesn’t begin and end with a simple recognition, rather our winners will be part of our community and celebrated long-term!”

In an effort to further the mission of its members, the International Housewares Association (IHA) has selected Ungerboeck Software as its new event management solution provider.

“We wanted a turnkey system that will provide IHA with streamlined operations to increase productivity and improved reporting with data analytics,” explained Dean P. Kurtis, vice president of finance and information technology of IHA, which produces the International Home + Housewares Show and represents more than 1,700 member companies.