(Pictured above, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau Annual Luncheon at Philadelphia Museum of Art)
by Jeanne Brei
The buzz on the tradeshow floor this week includes the setup and teardowns for the RSNA (Radiological Society of North America) Annual Meeting—the world’s largest medical imaging conference demonstrating the latest medical imaging technologies in CT, MRI, artificial intelligence (AI), 3D printing and more in Chicago’s McCormick Place from Nov. 27-Dec. 1; I/ITSEC 2022 (the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) students and teacher—the world’s largest modeling, simulation and training event, which is running Nov. 28-Dec. 2 at the OCCC in Orlando, IAFE 2022 (the International Association of Fairs & Expositions) which is running Nov. 27-30 in Indianapolis, 2022 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit (the Materials Research Society) which is running Nov. 27-Dec. 2 at Boston’s at the Hynes Convention Center/Sheraton Boston Hotel, GNYDM (the Greater New York Dental Meeting), running Nov. 27-30 at the Jacob Javits in New York City, AWS re:Invent 2022 (Amazon Web Services), a learning conference hosted by AWS for the global cloud computing community spanning six venues in Las Vegas: Caesars Forum, Encore, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, The Venetian, and Wynn and running from Nov. 28-Dec. 2; and EDPA’s ACCESS running from Nov. 29-Dec. 1 at La Cantera Resort & Spa in San Antonio, among many others! It’s exciting to see that attendance is up and shows are back on track! Las Vegas is also gearing up for the National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center, running from Dec. 1-10 and Miami Art Week just opened with Art Miami, America’s foremost contemporary and modern art fair, and its sister fair, CONTEXT Art Miami running throughout the city from Nov. 29-Dec. 4.
Dave Sterne, founder and CEO at The Inside Track, providers of custom flooring solutions for conventions, events and museums, was on site at RSNA in Chicago and posted photos (pictured right) of “just a few of the trade show pros that were on the show floor this week,” including Thomas Dressel, Nancy Virene, Giselle Leonhardt, Brady Tinkham, Stephanie Worley, Matthew Little and Bill Atkins. As he wrote on both Facebook and Linkedin, “It’s that time of year again – Turkey, Football and RSNA!”
In further proof that conventions are back in a big way, mid-term voters in Dallas approved Proposition A, a bill that implements a “tourism tax” designed 
to generate funding for renovations of Fair Park and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas (pictured left). The 2 percent “tourism tax” hike (which increases the hotel occupancy tax from 13 percent to 15 percent) is expected to generate $1.5 billion over a 30-year period which will be used to pay off the bonds that will initially fund the construction, ensuring that the tax burden does not fall on Dallas residents. The measure passed with 68 percent of the vote as Dallas residents look forward to attracting larger shows with the convention center doubling in size by 2026.
MSN reported that Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson estimated that the convention center failed to book nearly 950 events over the past 15 years due to the lack of updates for the KBHCCD. So, the renovations will include large ballrooms with outdoor terraces, views of the city and a portion of Lamar Street (which runs along the length of the proposed expansion) reconfigured into a central lobby for the venue.
The Master Plan will also feature an integrated transportation hub and the 277-acre recreational complex known as Fair Park will also be getting substantial upgrades and more green spaces. Originally built in 1936, Fair Park houses the Cotton Bowl, Centennial Hall, Automobile Building, Fair Park Band Shell and Fair Park Coliseum.
For more info on the Master Plan, visit www.dallasccmasterplan.com.
In Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau Annual Luncheon, bringing together Philadelphia’s hospitality community with the 
CVB’s partners to celebrate travel, tourism, and in-person events was held on Thanksgiving Eve at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (pictured top and right), which allowed guests to browse the museum’s galleries including the new ‘Matisse in the 1930s’ exhibit—exclusively on view in Philly. Highlights also included entertainment provided by Soda Pop Strings and BVTLive! as well as greeting the recipient of the Marie Baker Brown Scholarship, Efrosini Kamariotis. The luncheon benefits the PHLCVB Foundation, which supports activities that promote Philadelphia as a top-tier destination, hospitality education programs, and legacy projects that benefit the local community.
And speaking of doing charitable works this holiday season, several EDPA chapters have plans, including EDPA Midwest’s annual Exhibit 4 Smiles which won’t be distributing gifts to the children in-person this year due to COVID regulations. They will be collecting funds through the donation link below and sending children their gifts directly to their homes. To sponsor a child’s gifts, click here. EDPA Midwest Chapter is also forging a new relationship with the Graphic Design department at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisc. Members of the EDPA Midwest chapter will guide the students through a six-week course load including a trip to the ISSA show in Chicago, intro to exhibit design and materials, concept inspiration and floor planning, and rendering design. They will celebrate the end of the course with a holiday party for the students and chapter members where the students will showcase their designs in-person. The Design Challenge Student Spotlight & Networking Event is scheduled for Dec. 7.
EDPA Texas is continuing their bi-weekly zoom calls with a Mental Health Zoom seminar from 10:30–11:30 a.m. CST on Dec. 6 and a Trivia Night at 5 p.m. CST on Dec. 14. Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Cindy Cassell (pictured right) will discuss “How to Manage Stress and Avoid Burnout” on Dec. 6; for tickets, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-manage-stress-and-avoid-burnout-tickets-463647220317. Trivia Night, sponsored by Classic Exhibits, is free for all. Email noelle.webster@willwork.com for an invite and test your trivia skills aiming to win a $50 Amazon gift card.
