2014 EHS Conference Preview
The cities of New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Orlando will host at least two of the biggest U.S. safety, health, and environmental conferences apiece next year.
The biggest safety, health, and environmental conferences of 2014 are set for some of America's largest convention centers and top tourism destinations, notably perennial favorites Orlando, New Orleans, and Las Vegas. Show organizers apparently aren't superstitious: Two of the New Orleans events will start in September 2014, in the middle of the Atlantic hurricane season.
The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, celebrating its 53rd anniversary in 2013, hired a new director of tourism, Tico Soto, CDME, in September; he is a past president of the Louisiana Society of Association Executives. The bureau reports tourism is the city's largest industry, supporting 78,000 jobs and providing an economic impact of more than $6 billion. The bureau's goal is to reach 13.7 million visitors and $11 billion in visitor spending in 2018.
The EHS industry is doing its part, with big three fall conferences scheduled for the Crescent City:
"It's an honor for me to be able to return to New Orleans and the CVB," Soto said Sept. 9, according to a bureau news release. "New Orleans is globally recognized as one of the world's great leisure travel destinations. Working with the tourism sales team here and with our international offices, I strongly believe we'll be able to reach our goal of bringing record numbers of visitors to the city."
Las Vegas draws far more visitors -- 29,996,386 in 2013 alone through Sept. 30, with 3,999,434 of them being conventioners, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported -- and the city will host two early conferences next year and NFPA's big show in the summer:
We can't forget Orlando, ranked as the top U.S. meetings destination by Cvent in August 2013 and the first destination to exceed 55 million visitors in a single year, with 55.1 million in 2011, according to Visit Orlando. On tap for Orlando in 2014 are:
Three Texas cities make the list, as well:
- AOHC 2014, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, April 27-30, San Antonio.
- AAOHN 2014 National Conference, American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, May 5-8, Dallas.
- AIHce 2014, American Industrial Hygiene Association/American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, May 31-June 5, San Antonio.
- 2014 OSHA Oil & Gas Safety Conference, OSHA/University of Texas at Arlington, Dec. 2-3, Houston.
Other big EHS 2014 conferences of note include these events:
- VPPPA 30th Annual National Conference, Voluntary Protection Programs Participants' Association Inc., Aug. 25-28, National Harbor, Md.
- 2014 National Safety Congress & Expo, National Safety Council, Sept. 13-19, San Diego.
- AIHA 2014 Fall Conference, American Industrial Hygiene Association, Oct. 18-22, Washington, D.C.
- HFES 2014 International Annual Meeting, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Oct. 27-31, Chicago.