In a boon for more sustainable corporate events, full-service venue management company ASM Global recently unveiled the country’s first fully electric conference center in Ithaca, N.Y.

Learning. Innovation. Community. Those are the key words cloud-based CRM software company Salesforce uses to describe its annual flagship conference, Dreamforce, touted as the world’s largest AI event and enterprise tech conference. Hosted every year in San Francisco and set for Sept.

At this year’s Connect Marketplace in Milwaukee, it wasn’t just the deal-making and networking that had the 3,000 attendees buzzing. The 2024 iteration of Connect’s largest event upped the game when it came to experiential moments—and they might’ve even stolen the whole show (hey, Lil Jon!).

In general, attendees go to conferences based on content, potential contacts, and convenience, not the attributes of the host convention center. However, the conference experience, which is strongly influenced by the venue, can be an important factor in an attendee’s decision to return to that event in the future. 

So, what do attendees want and expect in a conference experience? 

A record number of business event professionals are now working full-time as freelancers, according to a recent study designed to highlight the motivations, demographics, and work values of independent workers in the events industry.  

Celebrating its centennial anniversary in 2024, Ace Hardware Corp. hosted its largest Fall Convention in history, attracting more than 18,000 retailers, employees, and vendors to McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, according to Ace. Held Aug.

New meetings hotel properties are continuing to pop up on the Kansas City hospitality scene, offering upscale accommodations, dining, amenities, and plentiful meeting space for event planners to choose from. Since October 2023, two new meetings hotels have opened in the destination, with two more set to open this fall—for a total of 652 new hotel rooms.  

Multi-year contracts with labor union UNITE HERE have expired at hotels across the country, and repercussions are starting to be felt. At least 10,000 unionized hotel employees—housekeepers, front-desk clerks, kitchen and restaurant staffers, bartenders, and bellhops—from 25 hotels in 10 cities stayed home from their jobs between August 29 and September 3.

At events, capturing memorable moments is more important than ever. In a recent interview for Tech Talk, CEN’s Danica Tormohlen sat down with Jonathan Jow, director of strategy for BoothEasy, to delve into how the company is elevating event experiences with its instant photo and video services. 

From LED dance floors and AI Ping Pong to branded bar carts and immersive floral walls, event activations are a powerful way to engage attendees and create memorable experiences that are also Instagram-worthy.