The inaugural Connect New England took place June 22-24 in Hartford, Connecticut, at the Connecticut Convention Center. The reverse-style trade show for association, sports and corporate planners hosted 100 industry professionals for one-on-one appointments.
Feedback from the show has been extremely positive. “I attend many trade shows, and this show was intimate and allowed for a lot more networking opportunities among all the attendees, planners and suppliers. It allowed for real connections. I truly loved it! Kudos for thinking outside the box and adding the regional component to your already established fabulous shows,” said Norma Charette of Campus Conference Solutions.
The event kicked off with a New England-style clambake reception outdoors at the convention center, and day two opened with a keynote breakfast featuring leadership expert Alesia Latson, followed by an interactive CSR project. Connect New England teamed up with Camp Courant, Hartford’s free children’s summer camp, and filled 96 backpacks for the kids and constructed 100 build-your-own jump ropes for campers. The afternoon’s lunch keynote, author and businessman Da Chen, brought attendees to tears as he expressed his story of triumph and perseverance through art. Breakfast on the third day featured well-known industry advocate Roger Rickard and more education.
After three days of prescheduled appointments between planners and suppliers, attendees did not leave empty-handed. “Connect New England was much better than I ever anticipated. Hartford proved to be a great New England destination, and the food offered at the Connecticut Convention Center was outstanding. For those planners who chose not to attend, you really did miss a well-run event offering opportunities to meet with hotels and cities in New England, ones we were unaware of all they had to offer,” said David Rosenberg, founder of Marketing & Events, Inc.
Need a visual? A photo gallery from the event is online now! Dates and locations for Connect New England 2017 will be announced soon. For more information on Connect New England, please visit connectnewenglandmeetings.com. Connect’s next regional event will be Connect Florida, Oct. 25-27 in Orlando. Learn more at connectfloridameetings.com.
ABOUT CONNECT
Connect is a leader in the meetings, travel and tourism industry. Specializing in destination marketing, the company produces digital programs, online and mobile solutions, meetings business and travel magazines, trade shows and consumer events, travel guides for newspapers and leisure magazines, and destination information, which is distributed through broadcast and custom programs. More information about the company’s brands and services is available at connectmeetings.com.
Media contact: Stephanie Davis Smith, sdsmith@connectmeetings.com