IAEE's Going to New Orleans
Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 4/2/2007
The Intl. Assn. of Exhibitions and Events will hold its 2010 Expo! Expo! Annual Meeting & Exhibition in New Orleans Dec. 6–9. The association last met in the city in 1994.
IAEE President Steven Hacker said the association board had announced its intention to return to New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. He said IAEE was the first organization in the industry to make such an announcement.
"New Orleans has always been a good site for us because of its role as a venue for exhibitions and because of its inherent culture and tourism draw," Hacker said. "Because of already existing commitments, our first opportunity to return to the city was 2010."
Nikki Nicholson, vice president of convention sales for the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau, called the commitment to the city a testament to IAEE.
IAEE's most recent Expo! Expo!, held Nov. 28–30, at the San Diego Convention Center, attracted 1,991 attendees who spent more than $3.1 million during the event, with a total economic impact for the city of nearly $7.5 million, according to the SDCC. In a release, IAEE officials said they anticipated 2,500 for the 2010 meeting in New Orleans.
The 2007 Expo! Expo! is scheduled Dec. 10–12 at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
