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This year marks the first time since 1989 that the IAEE has brought Expo! Expo! to Houston. The conference, which continues through tomorrow at the George R. Brown, showcases best practices for organizing trade shows. It also hosts hundreds of suppliers of goods and services to the industry.
Greg Ortale is president and CEO of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. He says the event provides a major opportunity to show off Houston to attendees — and encourage them to bring their own conventions to the city.
“The membership of IAEE plans somewhere north of 15,000 meetings a year all over the globe. That is a big pond for us to go fishing in, and that’s what we’re hoping to do.”
Ortale says Expo! Expo! itself should bring the city about $2 million in revenue. That’s not including leads for future business the conference may generate.
