Due to the continued rise in COVID-19 infections in the U.S. and across the globe, the in-person portion of this year’s Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting and Exhibition — which was to be a hybrid event Dec. 8-10 in Louisville, Ky. — has been called off. Instead, the association will refocus on transitioning many of the show’s physical elements into a virtual format, according to IAEE officials.

“Our board, staff and members were excited to take part in this annual, in-person event,” said Bob McLean, IAEE chairperson. “However, in light of current health and safety concerns, the board has unanimously decided to transition this face-to-face event to a wholly virtual experience. With this decision, the board and staff have recommitted our efforts to deliver the same high-quality event you have come to expect from IAEE.”

The virtual show will feature a buyer experience offering ways for attendees and exhibitors to network through chats and messaging functionality; a Buyer Resource Center housing key content spanning more than 60 product/service categories through case studies, product demos and research papers; and an exhibitor marketplace where event professionals can conduct business for 2021 and beyond.

Content centered around planning future events will be presented through five education tracks: Virtual Event Production, Wellness & Personal Development, Young Professionals, an Executive Experience and Safely Reopening Exhibitions & Events. Sixty-five sessions will be pre-recorded followed by live Q&A discussions, including the IAEE Asia Forum. 

Specialty content including seven BUZZ sessions and a general session with Risha Grant — who will focus on diversity, equity and inclusion — will be featured along with a Tech Theatre presenting tech use cases and new product pitches, and industry icon interviews through the News and Views theatre.

In addition, key face-to-face activities will be transformed into virtual activations for Summit Club, Chapter Leaders and newcomer orientations.

“While our core mission is to bring buyers and sellers together face-to-face, we are utilizing the Swapcard platform to deliver valuable content to plan future events while also providing an engaging marketplace to meet and make plans for 2021 and beyond,” said David DuBois, IAEE president and CEO.

Registration is open for the virtual event at $299 USD for IAEE members and $499 USD for non-members. To learn more, go here.

Louisville will host the 2022 edition of IAEE's Expo! Expo!, set for Dec. 13-15 at the Kentucky International Convention Center. This will be the first time the city has hosted the event.

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