CTIA said its 2010 spring show will take place May 8 through 10 in New Orleans, marking the first time the trade association will hold its conference in that city since 2005. The association said a major reason behind pushing back the International CTIA Wireless 2012 event from March to May is that it will help its members and exhibitors better showcase their products in time for the all-important back-to-school and fourth-quarter sales cycles.
New Orleans is a central location that can accommodate both West and East Coast attendees, as well as international attendees, said John Walls, VP of public affairs at the trade association. The new dates likely will be well received from companies that are challenged “physically and fiscally” trying to attend Mobile World Congress in February and CTIA in March, Walls noted. Indeed, people who travel to the Consumer Electronics Show in January, Mobile World Congress in February and CTIA in March often complain about the show fatigue as the three shows are close together.
“The mobile ecosystem is evolving and expanding to span borders, industries and interests. That’s resulting in an increasingly diverse group of attendees and exhibitors at International CTIA Wireless shows, and we believe New Orleans will be a great host site in 2012,” said Robert Mesirow, CTIA vice president and show director. “We decided to have the show in May after listening to our customers who wanted to use the show as an advantageous opportunity to launch products focused on back-to-school and fourth quarter retail cycles. In addition, New Orleans provides our attendees with a centrally located and culturally rich destination. This will be our seventh show in New Orleans, which is more than any other city, and we’re extremely pleased to be going back in 2012.”
CTIA decided to keep its fall show laser-focused on the enterprise sector, and as such, chose not to switch out its fall and spring focuses. “Keeping it in late spring makes the most sense,” Walls said.