The Road to PMA@CES : PMA@CES 2012: Retooled PMA Looks at New Directions & New Opportunities

Take out your track shoes—digital imaging not limited to space at The Venetian

December 2011 By Michael McEnaney

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It has been a while. In fact, as we all walked out of the Anaheim Convention Center back in March of 2010, little did we know we’d wait almost 22 months before attending our next PMA, never mind the fact it would be called PMA@CES.

A lot has happened during those 22 months, as PMA initially changed its name to CliQ, announced show dates of early February 2011, rescheduled the show for early September 2011 under the aforementioned CliQ rebrand and then ultimately decided to colocate the show at the 2012 International CES in Las Vegas and rename it PMA@CES. Whew!

“You know what, it was time for a reinvention as so much has changed in this industry, even in just the last few years,” began Jim Cummins, of Cummins’ Photography in New York, a frequent attendee at both past PMA and CES shows. “This was the right direction to take, now they just have to make sure they don’t get lost traveling down this new road.”

Getting lost, as Cummins put it, can be an easy thing to do at the International Consumer Electronics Show, as over 140,000 folks attended last year’s event, so standing out and garnering attention isn’t always an easy task.

So then, what can we expect as our old friend, the PMA show, begins anew in Las Vegas 2012, located in The Venetian Hotel’s Sands Expo Center?

“There are thousands of PMA members who have never attended CES, the largest consumer electronics show, and PMA@CES offers a unique opportunity,” explained CEA’s senior vice president of events and conferences, Karen Chupka. “The International CES typically draws more than 140,000 attendees each year and, with The Venetian serving as the PMA@CES hub, PMA photo retailers, imaging labs and professional photographers will have an opportunity to experience the excitement that both events have always offered.”

Filling the space at The Venetian/Sands, an effort that got off to a sluggish start during the summer months, picked up considerably in Q4 as PMA and CEA officials recently announced that the 30,000 square feet of exhibit space is all but sold out in what is officially being referred to as the PMA@CES TechZone at the 2012 International CES.

The show will also feature imaging-specific pavilions from China and Germany in the space at the Sands Expo.

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