MEDICAL FAIR THAILAND 2017, 8th International Exhibition on Hospital, Diagnostic, Pharmaceutical, Medical & Rehabilitation Equipment & Supplies, concluded its most successful edition to date: 830 companies from 66 countries (including 18 national pavilions and country groups) welcomed more than 9,000 trade visitors from 70-plus nations. U.S. companies participated within the U.S. group stand or the Enterprise Florida group stand.

The phrase “Experience Design” gets tossed out repeatedly, but do we truly understand how this concept plays out in the trade show and conference arena?

This dynamic has been embraced by the consumer markets, starting in 1999 with Joseph Pine and James Gilmore’s best-selling book called “The Experience Economy: Work is Theatre & Every Business a Stage.”

IMEX is replacing its original event organizing platform with EventReference, a cloud-based event management system developed by U.K.-based RefTech.

EventReference will be used to manage all of IMEX’s online interaction with show attendees, including all registrations, hosted buyer travel, buyer and exhibitor appointment schedules and the exhibitor booth directory.

Going forward, every person attending IMEX in any capacity will be using EventReference to register, manage and plan their visit.

The Art Basel art show plans to remain at the Miami Beach Convention Center for the long-term, as evidenced by a five-year agreement the show will sign with The City of Miami Beach on Oct. 5 at Miami Beach City Hall.

This year’s event, set for Dec. 7-10, will mark the 16^th edition of the modern and contemporary art show that draws visitors from across the U.S. and the globe to Miami Beach.

A strong roster of expert speakers leading sessions is critical in an event’s appeal to attendees. In addition to events promoting their speaker lineup, speakers promoting the events they participate in can help push attendance growth.

While not all show organizers are utilizing this grassroots effort, many have found it to be a critical tool and likewise, many speakers are eager to contribute to an event’s success.

MGM Resorts International will provide donations through the MGM Resorts Foundation in the amount of $3 million to fund humanitarian assistance to victims of the Las Vegas shooting, along with organizations who provide support to those who are first on the scene to assist in traumatic events.

For event planners and marketers, analytical reports can be gold mines for driving registrations, adoption of tools and calculating ROI. However, the true potential of analytics remains underutilized in testing the effectiveness of marketing efforts, testing new audience segments and creating impactful cross-promotional efforts. This is mostly because there are a plethora of options and features available, as well as disconnected channels that add significant complexity to the analytical process and make accurate attribution extremely difficult.

Last week, the Anaheim Convention Center unveiled its biggest and most significant expansion in nearly two decades: ACC North, boasting 200,000 square feet of flexible, two-level meeting and event space.

The addition of the new building officially marks the ACC’s induction into the “1 million-square-foot-club,” increasing its ranking to the 11^th largest convention facility in the U.S. and preserving its standing as the largest on the West Coast.