The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), celebrating its 90th anniversary, closed its annual Expo! Expo! conference by sending a strong message to attendees that it will prioritize two of the industry’s most compelling topics, women in leadership and creating memorable experiences, while continuing to serve the needs of the meeting and event industry’s largest trade show organization.

About 2,300 attendees, which ranks among the top five in show history, were treated to a three-day event at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans filled with more than 140 educations sessions, two keynotes and a sold-out show floor with nearly 300 exhibitors, the highest number since 2001, said David Dubois, president and CEO of IAEE.

“New Orleans knocked it out of the park,” Dubois said of the host city. “We expected it to be awesome and it was even more awesome.”

Tom Cindric, senior vice president at Informa Global Exhibitions, was introduced as chair of the IAEE Board of Directors. He told attendees the organization has committed to expanding its CEM Learning Program and women’s initiatives, including education and leadership programming for women in the industry. Part of that is a collaboration with Meeting Professionals International (MPI), which offers a Women in Leadership Executive training program.

Cindric also said IAEE will focus on expanding its global presence and on changing the trade show model, which “continues to evolve and all of us are trying to figure out what’s going to happen. We’ve been through a lot and now, more than ever, we’re working more collaboratively with each other, meaning organizers and suppliers, vendors and associations, to create solutions to make our events more exciting. Our industry is headed in the right direction.”

The collaboration also includes the Global MICE Collaborative, an initiative between IAEE, MPI and the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), who have combined forces to provide training and resources to help train and develop professionals involved in the industry segment known as Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions, or MICE, in three growing regions of the world—Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Cindric said it’s an exciting time not just for IAEE, but for the entire exhibitions and events industry.

“I am looking forward to seeing IAEE experience great growth through new initiatives and collaboration with our industry partners as we take full advantage of new opportunities before us supported by a strong foundation set by my predecessors,” he said.

Cathy Breden, executive vice president and chief operating officer at IAEE, said attendance at the conference was strong and that feedback on the education sessions was positive.

“There were lots of great comments on the education,” said Breden, who celebrated her birthday on the show’s opening day. “Overall, there’s been a very positive buzz about the event. People who have been coming for 35 years said it was the best event they’ve attended and they’ll come back.”

The keynote speakers included Nancy Giordano, founder and CEO of Play Big Inc., and Mandy Rennehan, CEO of Blue-Collar and founder of Freshco.

Expo! Expo!, which kicked off the conference with a Mardi Gras-style New Orleans brass band and second-line parade, will meet next year at MGM Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The closing general session ended with a performance by the Michael Jackson One Cirque du Soleil troupe from Las Vegas.

Exhibitions and events are a key player in the meeting and event space, contributing more than $91 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) each year and attracting more than 33 million attendees at events. Business events contributed to a total global GDP impact of $1.5 trillion.

IAEE has more than 10,000 members in 52 countries who are directly involved in the planning, management and production of exhibitions and buyer-seller events. IAEE also advocates for key issues such as safety and security, travel facilitation, online booking issues and infrastructure investment.