Just more than a week after Hurricane Harvey wreaked devastation on the Texas Coast, Hurricane Irma now is hurtling toward a possible strike in Florida, prompting organizers to start postponing events or ending them earlier than scheduled.

With the state of Florida declaring a state of emergency in 67 counties, the opening of the Miami International Auto Show, originally scheduled to open Sept. 9 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, has been postponed.

Technology companies with new products or services relevant to the meetings, incentive, conference and events (MICE) industry have until Sept. 8 to enter the ibtm world Tech Watch Award.

The Tech Watch Award 2017 winner will be announced at ibtm world 2017, taking place Nov. 28-30 at Fira Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain.

After a slow start to the year, the second quarter of 2017 in the U.S. trade show industry jumped into high gear, posting 2.9-percent overall growth, compared with the same quarter last year, according to the Center for Exhibition Industry’s latest Index Report.

Also, in the first time since the fourth quarter of 2016, the trade show industry out-performed the macroeconomy, with real GDP growing 2.2 percent year over year.

After Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas Coast and spurred days of record rainfall resulting in deadly flooding conditions, the doors of Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center opened and currently houses more than 9,000 evacuees.

In addition, Houston’s NRG Center opened last night as a shelter, and the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas also is mobilized so it, too, will be able to take in people as needed.  

Mobile app technology can be an incredible tool for show organizers, especially those platforms that help event professionals streamline their events. As a result, you don’t have to look far these days to find a slew of mobile apps specifically designed to help improve all aspects of the event planning and execution ecosystem.

August was a busy month for hiring and promotions in the trade show industry, with venues, show organizers and general service contractors all adding to their ranks.

The Expo Group has brought on Toby Purdy as Chief Sales Officer.

“Growth at The Expo Group is a constant. We are accelerating at a fast pace as the market moves to overcome the status quo and understands we can solve their challenges with compelling experiences and investment in growing client revenues,” said The Expo Group President and COO Randy Pekowski. 

The International Association of Exhibitions and Events unveiled a new direction for the association after intense board level discussions and approval of a new strategic plan through 2025.

Buzz. All brands need it and events are no exception. Attendees put a lot of faith into their peers’ opinions, putting a level of trust in their perspectives that is higher than any brand could hope to earn independently.

“Brand advocates have become increasingly important within the marketing mix for all events,” said Ed Several, senior vice president at Reed Exhibitions. “Today, the customers we serve often look to influencers within their industry to understand how best to participate in an event.”