After three cancellations, NAB returning to Las Vegas in April
The National Association of Broadcasters — one of the city’s largest annual convention and trade shows — will return to Las Vegas in April, organizers announced Monday.
The show, scheduled for April 23-27, will spotlight innovation and maximize networking. Registration for the show is open, but registration for paid conferences and workshops will be available later this year.
“We are reimagining NAB Show to more closely mirror today’s media, entertainment and technology ecosystem in a way that is intuitive and makes it easier for attendees to navigate the event,” said Chris Brown, executive vice president and managing director of NAB’s Global Connections and Events, in a news release. “We are also thrilled to offer new curated experience zones designed to spotlight innovation, stimulate meaningful networking, inspire new ways of thinking and provide premium education, insights and a focus on real-world implementation.”
The 2020 NAB show was one of the first major trade shows to be shut down by COVID-19. The show couldn’t return to its usual April 2021 time slot because the city didn’t reopen for large gatherings until June 2021.
NAB organizers had made plans for an Oct. 9-13 show, but abruptly canceled that in mid-September when the delta variant picked up steam weeks before its scheduled opening.
Monday’s announcement was one of the first affirmations that NAB would be back to its usual time slot.
Between 90,000 and 100,000 broadcast professionals attend NAB at the Las Vegas Convention Center and the next-door Westgate. This year’s show will be in the Convention Center’s new West Hall as well as the North and Central halls.
Brown said the theme of the show will be “Create, Connect and Capitalize.”
The Central and North halls will focus on content creation from pre-production to post-production, including the latest tools and advanced workflow options to elevate storytelling. Also in the North Hall will be next-generation technologies creating new revenue streams and fueling the content economy.
The new West Hall will be a destination to explore content distribution and delivery, from cloud computing to new media infrastructure.
Within the three pillars, specially tailored exhibits, networking and education programming will comprise experience zones designed to drive innovation, provide inspiration and spur implementation, Brown said.
A fourth NAB Show content pillar in development will focus on critical components impacting all aspects of content creation and delivery.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.
