9.2 The History Of Events As An Industry
The History Of Events
The history of event planning informs the present of the industry. The history of the event planning industry is marked by significant evolution and growth. Initially, the industry was relatively informal. Events and conferences were often organized by the hosting organizations themselves or by specialized departments within large corporations. However, the need for professional event planners grew as the scale and complexity of events grew.
Meetings have been around in various forms for many thousands of years. However, the formal industry dedicated to meetings has only been around for about 100 years. Opinions may vary on this matter, but there is a general consensus that the industry began at the turn of the century or slightly before. The first recorded conference took place in Detroit in 1896. Yet, there was no known designated conference manager at this conference. In 1928, conference managers came together for the first time, expressing the need to discuss meeting planning and learn from each other. This was an initial recognition of event planning as a profession (Social Tables, n.d.). Growth was recognized but not realized globally until the post-World War WII environment emerged.
A growth trend in event planning was particularly evident post-WWII, when the rise of international trade aligned with the expansion of academic and professional networks. This spurred the growth of conferences and business events. The event planning industry saw a shift towards more structured and professionalized event planning services post-WWII.
One notable highlight at this time was the construction of large convention centers. For example, the Sava Center in Yugoslavia in the late 1970s evidences the global push of this industry. The Sava Center opened as the largest in the world when it welcomed the first guest (Spahić, 2024). The United States was not far behind though. For example, New Orleans began planning their massive convention center in 1978, the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Even today, it remains one of the largest convention centers in the U.S. (López, 2022). By 1978 terms, it was the largest planned project by square feet in the world. These are the largest convention centers in the U.S. by square feet:
- Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida – It offers approximately 2,100,000 square feet of exhibit space within a 7,000,000 square-foot complex (“Top Ten U.S. Convention Centers,” 2020).
- McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois – This facility boasts about 2,600,000 square feet of exhibit space, making it the largest in the U.S. (“Top Ten U.S. Convention Centers,” 2020).
- Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada – It provides around 1,940,631 square feet of exhibition space (Pretto, 2021).
- Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia – Features 1,500,000 square feet of prime exhibit space (Pretto, 2021).
- Sands Expo & Convention Center at The Vene