(image taken by Ray Smith at Tradeshows and Friends)
By Ray Smith, Exhibit City News
Rick Kostopoulos flew to Las Vegas from Phoenix and paid for the breakfast buffet to launch “Tradeshows and Friends,” an industry-specific networking event sponsored by Vegas Chamber. It’s his way of bringing people with common business interests together.
The initial meeting, held Feb. 13 at VC’s office in Symphony Park, drew about 30 people representing companies with tangential business links to tradeshows, meetings and events.
Pretty good attendance, considering Las Vegas received its first measurable rainfall in more than 200 days, which probably kept a few registrants away.
“Vegas is about tradeshows,” says Kostopoulos, owner of Nextgen Business Solutions. “I believe in this community, along with the Chamber, to bring things like this to this big community, which is what Vegas is known for.”
Nextgen installs events management software to run shows for several clients in Las Vegas, including Viper Tradeshow Services, Las Vegas Expo, Edlin Electrical Exhibition Services and State 360 Group.
Lita Stein, Vegas Chamber business development representative, says the sole purpose of “Tradeshows and Friends” is to get to know other people in the room who may become direct clients or business referrals. She plans to send contact information for everyone in attendance. The event will be held quarterly, scheduled next for April 11.
Vegas Chamber added “Tradeshows and Friends” to other networking events such as Business Services (accounting, financial, advertising) and Real Estate/Construction (land, housing development).
It’s an ideal gathering for someone like Charisma Schwarze, co-founder of Indie Film Factory, a video production company that provides onsite interviews with exhibitors and B-roll footage of tradeshows for marketing purposes.
“I mean, Vegas is the center of attention when it comes to tradeshows,” Schwarze contends. “We’re the entertainment capital, but we’re also the business capital. A lot of people come here from outside of the country. We’ve got high-end accommodations, high-end hospitality, high-end restaurants. How this connects to tradeshows? We can facilitate it, very easily, however small or large, no questions asked.”
Las Vegas, with more than 15 million square feet of exhibit and meeting space, perennially ranks among the nation’s top convention cities, hosting everything from weddings to CES. Convention attendance was nearly 6 million in 2024, according to Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Jeannette Laluk of Convention Suite, part of Nextgen Business Solutions, expects good results from Vegas Chamber’s new industry networking group.
“Setting up booths, laying carpet, electricians, anything to do with events, they want us to meet here and network and partner up,” she says. “Or it could be education. What people in the industry are doing.”
As the largest business support organization in Nevada, the Vegas Chamber is focused on helping Nevada businesses succeed and create jobs. Its mission is to cultivate the growth and success of member businesses and overall community through passionate and effective advocacy. For more information, visit https://vegaschamber.com/
