Next January, the floors of the Las Vegas Convention Center and hundreds of hotel suites on and around the Strip will be empty.
Many trade shows have thrown in the towel in 2020, but the event business expects a resurgence in 2021. The question, which many organizations are still solving, is how.
“Too many events are just trying to replicate the program,” says Jean Foster, senior vice president of marketing and communications for the Consumer Trade Association, who runs CES. “Many platforms have an avatar walking across a digital exhibition floor, and we said that’s not what we want to be. That’s not what CES is. “
In April, the CTA began working on a digital plan for next year’s fair, anticipating a hybrid event. In July, it became clear that there was no secure way to convene the industry and announced that CES would be completely digital.
That second component will be key for most viewers, as CES is known for its cavernous show floor with everything from giant TVs to smart vehicles to drones (and everything in between). However, next year, the emphasis will be on more than just showing off new products.
“It’s much more about connections,” says Foster. Exhibitors will be able to use the platform to create the experience they want to offer and engage with key audiences.”
Conventions are great revenue generators for both the hosts and the cities that host them, making the drive to hold them especially important. In Orlando, one of the top cities for conventions and trade shows, the average convention delegate generates an average economic impact of $ 2,229, according to the Orange County (Florida) Convention Center Annual Report. In southern Nevada (including Las Vegas), approximately 6.6 million people attended conventions last year, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, generating a total economic output of $ 11.4 thousand. . millions.
So it should come as no surprise that some states are slowly getting used to the idea of small-scale trade shows. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak approved conventions with up to 1,000 people, with the caveat that attendees should be separated into groups of no more than 250 in one area at a time.
Some casinos, such as MGM, are installing rapid test stations and contactless kiosks for guests, while Wynn Resorts plans to launch a laboratory at its convention center by Thanksgiving to conduct thousands of rapid tests for COVID-19. . . . per day.
“We are not planning to create a complete ‘Wynn bubble’ by testing everyone in all settings, rather we require a test for employees to work or guests to attend a show, convention, nightclub or other crowded space that exceeds the ‘gathering massive ‘state-imposed limits,’ said Matt Maddox, chief executive officer of Wynn Resorts, in an op-ed detailing the plans earlier this month.
A national economic crisis would certainly support that theory, as companies reap the same benefits from virtual marketing presentations, and business travelers and consumers are hampered by budget constraints. Organizers of big shows, however, say they believe people will come, if only for the reason that humans are social creatures. But, like many other industries, some changes must take place first.
