 San Diego—Robust attendance, an upbeat business climate and an important name change marked The International Association for Exhibition Management (IAEM) Expo! Expo! Annual Meeting & Exhibition 2006, held in November at the San Diego Convention Center. "Until I attended Expo! Expo! I never really knew the size of our business," declared Richard Jones, sales representative, with Printfest, a printing trade show organizer, who was a first time event attendee. "The networking alone was worth the trip."
Exhibitors noticed that the overall attitude among meeting planners was positive and proactive. "Last year was good, this year was better," said Rich Stone, CEO, ACT/EXPOCAD, an exposition, meeting and event management software company. "There seems to be a high level of optimism among meeting planners. It’s as if people were holding back, and now they’re looking to raise the bar in regards to their own events. They want the ability to be more productive and to make their meeting or exhibition into a great event."
According to Chris Meyer, CEM, CMP, vice president/convention center sales, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, where the 2007 Expo! Expo! will be held, found that while booth traffic, "was about the same as last  year, we had more leads and more new shows interested, and so we’ve produced new business. Trade shows and conventions are very healthy, there has been an up-tick in the last three years, and the economy has been very strong. There has been a paradigm shift, and chief marketing officers seem to funding trade show participation again."
 Meyer pointed out, that in addition to upswing in convention, trade show and meetings business, there is a noticeable shift towards weekday events. "After 911, it seems that people want to be homebodies again. They want to travel to a town on Monday and be out of there by Friday, instead of over the weekend. This works out perfect for Las Vegas, as well as other destinations, because we’re such a strong leisure destination, which is still mainly on the weekends, and allows us to grow our weekday business."
 Initial attendance reports indicate Expo! Expo! attracted 1,991 attendees and 261 exhibitors. The Opening General Session & Awards Ceremony kicked off the annual meeting highlighted by Sandy Angus, 2006 Chairman being led to the podium by the international award-winning bagpipe band, the LA Scots. The 10 winners of this year's IAEM individual awards as well as the 181 graduates of this year's CEM Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM) Learning Program were honored at this event. More than 50 educational programs featuring key industry leaders, with topics ranging from industry best practices to securing sponsorships.
 The biggest news was the name change of this leading industry organization. The now formerly known as IAEM association is now the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE, pronounced IA double-E). The announcement was made at the event’s Annual Business Meeting and Luncheon, by Jeff Price, who also assumed the role of 2007 Chairman of the Board. In his remarks at the gathering, Price stressed the importance of continuing the growth of the CEM Learning Program, as well as his desire to extend IAEE's presence to other industry organizations.
 "This is a very exciting time," added Angus. "IAEE is embarking on a new mission that we are confident, will revolutionize our industry and the way people look at it." Angus emphasized, that in addition to the new acronym, the renamed association will focus on: Education and networking programs; Establishing the IAEE as the principal trade association of the exhibition industry; Developing Industry Advocacy Campaigns; and providing industry-relevant research through the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR).
 "The change of name only reflects the fact that the exhibition industry continues to evolve healthfully," added Steven Hacker, CAE, president, IAEE, and also inducted into the industry's Hall of Leaders. "The name change signals our intent to continue to lead the industry into exciting new areas of opportunity."
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