With the spring NAB Show in the books, organizers are already looking ahead to next year’s event. An important change is in the works.
Approximately 100 radio and TV technology exhibitors will be brought together in a dedicated area of the show floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center, called the TV & Radio Headquarters, just inside a new front entrance to the freshly renovated Central Hall.
You may recall that years ago, radio-related exhibitors tended to be clustered in a “radio hall,” whether or not it officially bore that name. But radio’s sense of community dissipated somewhat when organizers decided to lay out the exhibit floor by function, using terms like Create, Connect and Capitalize.
Their idea was that attendees could move “through” a workflow, from creation to monetization. This worked to an extent. But many exhibitors didn’t fit neatly into the categories. Where would you place a transmitter, an audio processor or an automation system in that scheme?
The disruption brought by expansion and renovation of the LVCC brought further change. Many radio suppliers ended up scattered in the West Hall, while a few others stayed in Central or North.
With renovations due to be completed soon, the NAB saw a chance to adjust.
Structurally, the front of Central will have a soaring architectural feature matching the West Hall, and the exhibit spaces will be brighter and more welcoming. Notably, Central’s front wall is being brought forward, creating a new indoor hallway where the outdoor patio and bus canopy once stood.
People arriving from the monorail — or from the newly opened underground Loop station from the Wynn Encore — will be able to walk straight into the prominently located TV & Radio Headquarters through doors in this area.
Eric Trabb, NAB senior vice president and chief customer success officer, emphasized that the broadcast technology community is integral to the convention but acknowledged that radio exhibitors in particular have sometimes not felt that way when it came to booth locations.
“Once we saw the layout of the new building, we saw an opportunity to give the radio community and the TV community a home that they can build from,” he said. This change creates a more logical organization and provides a natural home for exhibitors who may sell into both radio and TV markets.
“We also heard from our TV and radio members. They like their community, they’re close-knit and like to be together.” Thus a radio/TV networking area, sometimes referred to in the past as the Broadcast District, will move to the exhibit floor. “Sip and Speak” presentations will also be held there. And educational sessions of the Broadcast Engineering and IT Conference will be near at hand, via an escalator to the upper bridge to the South Hall.
This all puts broadcast tech exhibits, broadcast networking and broadcast educational sessions within easy reach of one another.
“We’re excited to get past the construction phase,” Trabb said. “We know it can be disruptive. The feedback from our exhibitors about this has been positive. I’d like to thank them for trusting us in developing this area with them. We’re going to work really hard to make it successful. We think the changes will create a better experience for the attendee, for our members and for exhibitors. It provides a home for what is a really important NAB community.”
Next year’s convention will occupy Central, North and West Halls. The Main Stage will remain in West Hall.
