update 1. New Venue Planned For Atlantic City Caesar’s Entertainment Corp. has announced that it plans to build a 200,000-square-foot convention center at its Harrah’s property in Atlantic City, NJ. The $134 million facility will feature 100,000 square feet of meeting and conference space on two floors, and incorporate large windows and an upscale design modeled after Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Construction is expected to begin in early 2013 and be completed by mid-2014. Critics have expressed concern that such a venue will compete for business with the Atlantic City Convention Center, but Caesar’s officials say the new venue is intended to attract smaller business conferences that will boost midweek business. 3. Worldwide Exhibition Industry Growing A report from The Global Association for the Exhibit Industry (UFI) reveals the state of the trade show industry internationally is strong, with certain markets rebounding more quickly and growing more rapidly than others in terms of post-recession exhibiting. China showed the largest increases globally in net space rented during the past two years, though Turkey and Russia had large gains as well. Recent indicators suggest that growth in Asia will slow in 2013, while shows in Europe are expected to remain stable, and the exhibit industry in the United States is expected to grow. U.S. businesses expressed the greatest optimism for the future, with 77 percent saying they expected better returns from exhibiting in 2013. Worldwide, 75 percent of the companies surveyed said they intend to expand or develop new activities for their exhibit program during the coming year, with 54 percent saying that would include exhibiting in more international markets. Those companies were most likely to be located in the Americas, Europe, or the Middle East and Africa. The full report is available at www.ufi.org. 2. Meeting Professional’s Work Curbs Child Sex Trafficking Kimberly Ritter, a senior account manager at Nix Conference & Meeting Management in St. Louis, MO, was honored by the FBI with its 2012 Director’s Community Leadership Award for her efforts to protect children from sex trafficking through her role as a meeting and event professional. Ritter has raised awareness at conferences and in meetings with hotel general managers about the use of hotels in child sex trafficking. Earlier this year, Nix worked with End Child Prostitution, Pornography, and Trafficking (ECPAT-USA) to initiate and sign the first-ever Meeting Planners Code of Conduct. Nix reached out to industry peers and competitors, encouraging meeting planners to join them in addressing the issue at every hotel where they do business. Companies that adopt the Code of Conduct agree to establish an internal social responsibility policy, implement an action plan with objectives and timeframes, and report to ECPAT annually. Ritter says she became aware of the problem four years ago when a client asked her whether the hotel she was booking on its behalf had a policy on human trafficking. Her initiatives since then have included teaching meeting and event professionals, as well as hotel staff, to recognize what should be viewed as red flags when encountering children in a hotel setting. Officials say that by simply raising awareness and encouraging action, Ritter’s initiatives saved children. “Ms. Ritter and Nix Conference & Meeting Management are examples of how private citizens and companies can make a difference,” FBI special agent Dean Bryant says. “Their efforts have resulted in 22 child victims being rescued over just three months time.” Ritter received her award in a surprise ceremony at the Millennium hotel in St. Louis, and will be invited to attend a national ceremony with other winners from across the country.