Trade Show News Network (TSNN)

LeftField Media, a division of Clarion Events, is launching KPEX: Korean Pop Culture Expo, a three-day event focused on Korean entertainment and culture scheduled for May 29-31, 2027, at the Javits Center in New York City. KPEX follows LeftField Media's Anime NYC (pictured), which drew 172,000 attendees in 2026 at Javits Center. Photo: LeftField Media The event will feature programming across K-Pop, K-Dramas, K-Comics, K-Games, K-Food and K-Beauty, according to the company.

Forget blackjack and roulette—the biggest gamble in Las Vegas might be using the hotel Wi-Fi, especially when a bunch of cybersecurity experts roll into town. The industry’s event series, Black Hat, just wrapped Black Hat USA 2026. The event welcomed more than 23,000 attendees—15% growth year over year—to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas Aug. 1–6. Last year’s event hosted 20,000 attendees.

This episode focuses on a key retention mistake in trade show marketing: treating repeat attendees and fence sitters the same. Our Grow Your Show Marketing Playbook podcast co-hosts, Informa Connect’s Caitlin Rodgers and mdg’s Emily Golding, break down why the real growth opportunity is in converting alumni and first timers who are on the edge of returning, not the people who already come back every year.

At Venue Connect 2026 in Indianapolis, IAVM President & CEO Trevor Mitchell touted the success of the Venue Sustainalytics in year 1 and encouraged members to submit their data for inclusion in the 2025 dashboard and Industry Report. The deadline to submit entries for the second annual data set of Venue Sustainalytics, the event industry's premier sustainability benchmarking program, is rapidly approaching.

Meet five recipients of the inaugural 50 Over 50 honor: Bob Harar, Carolyn Patterson-Kemper, Gary Schirmacher, John Dandeneau, and Karalynn Sprouse. Over the course of 10 months, TSNN—the exclusive media partner of the Event Industry 50 Over 50—will be introducing readers to the inaugural class of honorees. Expect a spotlight of five standout event professionals each month whose long, influential careers have helped shape the meetings and events landscape as we know it.

Corey Clark, director of events & experiences at Honeycomb Strategies, a Denver-based consulting firm specializing in environmental and social sustainability, recently put on her auditing cap in London. She was one of several eco-friendly specialists scanning the booths at Accountex London, produced by Diversified in May. The event included more than 17,000 attendees and 300 exhibitors.

Forge will serve as the parent company while Emerald and Questex event and media brands continue operating under their existing names. Emerald and Questex have introduced Forge as the corporate parent brand for the combined organization, two months after Apollo-managed funds completed separate acquisitions of both companies, according to a release.

Houston First Corporation has restructured its venue operations and development functions, promoting three longtime leaders to expanded executive roles. The reorganization splits Houston First's Convention and Cultural Facilities division into two separate departments: Venues & Events and Development. The changes take effect immediately. Luther Villagomez, who has spent nearly 40 years with Houston First and its predecessor organizations, has been named chief development officer.

The Financial & Insurance Conference Professionals (FICP) has appointed Jamie Murdock as president, effective Sept. 22, following a national executive search. Murdock joins FICP from Maritz, where he served as managing vice president of sales and industry presence since 2016. He brings more than 25 years of hospitality and meetings experience to the role. Murdock has a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.

NEXTPredict has executed what it says is the first use of a prediction market to hedge a conference investment, securing $3 million in coverage against flight cancellations for its Oct. 22-23 summit in New York. Members gather at the NEXT Emerging Verticals conference in New York in March 2026. Photo: NEXT.io. The media and conference organization paid $12,000 in premium for contracts through Kalshi that would return the cost of the summit if more than 50% of flights scheduled to arrive at John F.