WTC LAS VEGAS MARKS 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY WITH SUCCESSFUL CESĀ® 2020 DELEGATION PROGRAM

Chris Meyer, CEM, CMP Executive Director, WTC Las Vegas; and Vice President of Global Sales, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

World Trade Center (WTC) Las Vegas is celebrating 10 years of operation this year and to mark the occasion, the organization incorporated innovative programming during CESĀ® 2020, the worldā€™s largest and most influential global technology event, which was held January 7-10, 2020. In partnership with the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA), WTC Las Vegas created the first-ever global CESĀ® delegation program for the WTCA network. This venture represents a joint project between the ā€œTrade Services Member Advisory Councilā€ and the ā€œConventions & Exhibitions Member Advisory Council.ā€ Response to this effort resulted in participation from 20 World Trade Centers across the world, bringing approximately 160 attendees and exhibitors to Las Vegas to experience CESĀ®. This effort also resulted in the booking of more than 800 hotel room nights for Las Vegas hotel and resort partners, emphasizing the value events and exhibitions can bring to a destination. In total, CESĀ® 2020 attracted an estimated 170,000+ attendees and generated an economic impact of US $283.3 million. Since its inception in 1978, CESĀ® has drawn 4.7 million visitors to Las Vegas and has generated more than US $5.7 billion economic impact on the destination. 

During the recent trade show, special presentations from key leaders of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), and the WTCA were delivered at several impactful occasions. On January 6, the recently-established WTC Las Vegas Business Club, the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce, hosted a welcome networking reception for the WTCA delegation. WTCA Vice Chair, Mariette Mulaire of WTC Winnipeg, delivered remarks at the start of the event promoting the importance of meeting face-to-face to accomplish business and trade goals. Additionally, during an exclusive breakfast event on January 9, WTCA Vice Chair, Remy Swaab of WTC Panama, presented WTC Las Vegas with an award for their commitment to driving business opportunities worldwide, in recognition of WTC Las Vegasā€™ decade of successful operations and innovative programs.

ā€œWe are happy to be here with more than 20 different World Trade Centers because we are actually combining the power of the amazing World Trade Center Las Vegas and the CESĀ® show with our global network, and weā€™re also happy to be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of our global World Trade Centers Association network that has been connecting the business community for so long,ā€ said Swaab. 

WTC-associated business partners traveling to Las Vegas for CESĀ® 2020 also received high accolades during the event. 

ā€œWe started off a couple of months ago at CESĀ® Unveiled in Amsterdam and we were awarded ā€˜Best of Innovationā€™ in the categories of sustainability, eco-design and smart energy, which is really fantastic and has given us a lot of visibility,ā€ said Sabine Stuiver of Hydraloop Systems. ā€œThe World Trade Centers Association is like one big family, so itā€™s a warm welcome wherever you go in the world, especially in Las Vegas.ā€ The group also received recognition in categories for ā€˜Best of the Bestā€™ from additional notable entities participating in the show.
President and CEO of the CTA, Gary Shapiro, also delivered remarks at the exclusive WTC Las Vegas breakfast during the trade show, demonstrating his commitment and support of the network. 

ā€œLas Vegas is a great city ā€“ an international city,ā€ said Shapiro. ā€œWe are so happy to be affiliated with the World Trade Centers Association and World Trade Centers Las Vegas. To me, the value of the World Trade Centers Association is about people doing business globally and creating a venue where people can connect and get to know each other.ā€ 

In addition to the extensive programming provided at the trade show last month, WTC Las Vegas developed tailored services to assist delegates with their travel plans to Las Vegas and securing accommodations, experiences, and even event venues. The event came at a pivotal time for Las Vegas, after welcoming a record-breaking 6.6 million business travelers in 2019, as the Las Vegas Convention Center ā€” site of WTC Las Vegas ā€” is currently in the midst of a large-scale expansion and renovation project, slated for completion in December 2020. The facility will be open in time for CESĀ® 2021 and will also welcome an underground people mover system, in partnership with Elon Muskā€™s The Boring Company (TBC), to transport convention attendees quickly and efficiently throughout the 200-acre campus. This is the first commercial endeavor for TBC and a fantastic demonstration of the forward-thinking concepts taking shape in Las Vegas.

Once again, we would like to give our sincerest thanks to all WTC Members and delegates for participating in this yearā€™s CESĀ®. And a special thanks to Cheryl Smith of WTC Las Vegas for making this delegation program a successful event and forging ahead with new opportunities for our WTCA network. 

WTC Las Vegas is committed to the success of the WTCA network and our team is always available to assist in coordinating opportunities for partners across the globe. As interest in utilizing trade shows and events as a conduit for creating meaningful business partnerships grows rapidly throughout the WTCA and beyond, we invite you to engage with WTC Las Vegas to achieve your goals for any Las Vegas-based tradeshow or large-scale business event. The next venture in the WTC Las Vegas delegation program is in partnership with the National Association of Broadcasters show (NAB ShowĀ®) in April 2020 ā€“ more information will be available soon on how WTCA Members can participate. For any questions about CESĀ®, please write to Cheryl Smith at csmith@lvcva.com

WTC Las Vegas is a partnership between the LVCVA and the CTA, owner and producer of CESĀ®. In addition to marketing and branding Southern Nevada as the leading tourism and convention destination worldwide, the LVCVA operates the Las Vegas Convention Center, the nationā€™s only convention center designated as a World Trade Center site and one of the largest convention centers in the United States. Together, the LVCVA and CTA market Las Vegas to business travelers around the globe under the World Trade Center brand.

List of WTCs who Attended the CESĀ® 2020 WTCA Delegation Program: 

  • World Trade Center Accra
  • World Trade Center Chittagong
  • World Trade Center Denver
  • World Trade Center Kansas
  • World Trade Center Las Vegas 
  • World Trade Center Leeuwarden
  • World Trade Center Montreal
  • World Trade Center Noida
  • World Trade Center Panama
  • World Trade Center Paris
  • World Trade Center Philadelphia
  • World Trade Center QuerĆ©taro
  • World Trade Center Seoul
  • World Trade Center Shenyang
  • World Trade Center Suwon
  • World Trade Center Tampa Bay
  • World Trade Center Toronto
  • World Trade Center Trieste
  • World Trade Center Twente
  • World Trade Center Utah
  • World Trade Center Winnipeg