2009 Intl. Reading Assn. Convention: a Tale of Two Cities
By Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 5/1/2006
In 2009, the Intl. Reading Assn. will hold its 54th annual convention. However, the association for the first time will produce two regional conventions, instead of one show.
The IRA Annual Convention West is scheduled Feb. 21-25 in Phoenix, and the IRA Annual Convention North Central will take place May 2-7 in Minneapolis.
The West meeting will be among the first events held at the renovated Phoenix Convention Center and new Sheraton hotel.
The two conventions will have similar formats but feature different speakers. About 10,000 attendees are expected at each event.
Sally Forrest, director of national accounts for the Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the annual convention outgrew its traditional Minneapolis location for 2009.
"They didn't want to renege and pull out of Minneapolis, so they decided to hold a western meeting as well," Forrest said.
She noted that the association isn't planning to hold the event in two locations every year, but might if the situation ever arose again.
Forrest did not know the number of exhibitors expected, but said the IRA is holding a large portion of the Phoenix Convention Center, where a $600 million renovation will result in 872,000 square feet of exhibit and meeting space by 2009.
She added that exhibitors and attendees would overlap between the Phoenix and Minneapolis versions, which was one reason that different speakers are scheduled at each.
"The events won't be duplicates of each other," she said.
Featured authors and illustrators will present sessions, and exhibits will display educational products and services.
Forrest said the IRA hadn't held its annual convention in Phoenix before, but had held some regional and smaller meetings there.
