Sound quality was going to be a challenge. With seven concurrent breakout theaters built onto the expo floor at Home Delivery World 2024, ensuring favorable audio to attendees was concerning. Fortunately, the team at the Pennsylvania Convention Center (PCC) in Philadelphia was up to the task.

"The audiovisual team equipped a number of the theaters with ‘silent disco’-style headphones for theater attendees to use," says Michael Ryan, managing director - Americas for the global events company Terrapinn and the meeting planner responsible for the event. "This worked perfectly, and the sound quality and experience for the attendees was superb."

Home Delivery World brought 5,000 attendees to the PCC and featured a keynote stage and seven additional concurrent breakout sessions during which speakers—including leaders from retail giants Target, Walmart, Mattress Firm, Lowe’s and IKEA—would cover the latest trends and innovations in last-mile delivery and supply chain operations, according to Ryan.

"The buzz on the expo floor was fantastic along with the cocktail reception with attendees networking and even playing blackjack on two tables we set up near the bars, so everyone had a lot of fun, too, while doing business!" he says.

Philadelphia was an attractive host destination for the show due to the ease of access to the dense population in the northeast, according to Ryan.

"In the U.S., a significant percentage of final mile deliveries are made within a day’s truck drive from the Philadelphia area," he says.

Immersion and accessibility

To continue to attract events such as Home Delivery World, the PCC and other top-tier convention centers must grow and stay on top of the trends most important to meeting planners and their stakeholders.

John J. McNichol, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority, says meeting planners have been placing a greater focus on creating enhanced and immersive event experiences for their attendees.

"This includes incorporating offsite events that allow attendees to experience everything that the destination has to offer, volunteer events that provide attendees with the opportunity to make a significant impact in the local community in which the event is being held and self-improvement sessions such as morning yoga or walk/run sessions that focus on the health and well-being of their attendees while they are away from home," he says.

Michael Sawaya, president and CEO of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC), says modern meeting planners are prioritizing diverse needs, including a wider emphasis on accessible accommodations.

"These accommodations extend far beyond what has been considered customary or those covered specifically by the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act," he says. "The NOENMCC is meeting these needs by leaning into technology, with more virtual options to deliver exceptional experiences that can be adapted depending on guests’ needs."

McNichol says the PCC provides several accessibility amenities to ensure there is a welcoming environment for all guests.

"Some of these permanent amenities include service animal relief stations, braille room signage, onsite scooter and wheelchair rentals and Mamava lactation suites to provide new mothers with privacy," he says. "And because of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, our team has collaborated with many of our customers to create event spaces that further encourage a deeper sense of belonging. These include all-gender restrooms, sensory and quiet rooms and prayer rooms."

Technology and training

Effective use of AI is a trend that is in the fledgling stages of convention center operations, according to Sawaya.

"We have made significant investments that align with our core values of driving innovative thought throughout the organization," he says. "One example of this is the newly opened iCollab and Skills Studio, a collaborative space designed to drive employee-led innovation in our daily operations. The convention center also offers a robust virtual experience, with digital accessibility available through our upgraded, state-of-the-art technology infrastructure."

In June, the PCC opened a new onsite training center for staff and labor partners offering programs and workshops focused on safety, development of technical skills and customer service and hospitality.

"The 1,000-square-foot training facility represents the next step in our Hospitality Industry Advancement Trust (HIAT) Fund, a partnership we launched two years ago with our show floor labor partners," McNichol says. "HIAT is focused on training labor personnel in three general areas: safety, development of technical skills and customer service/hospitality. We coordinate the skills training with industry contractors to ensure our workforce has the latest technical training so they can provide the most efficient and economical builds possible for our customers."

Sustainability

Waste diversion is a sustainability practice prioritized in all aspects of NOENMCC operations, event planning and construction, Sawaya says.

Waste diversion through operations involves all departments through onsite recycling and an emphasis on sustainable practices.

"It is one of many programs that helped the NOENMCC become the first convention center in the world to be awarded initial certification under LEED v4.1 O+M in 2022," he says.

For event planning, the NOENMCC offers waste-free meal options, composting and expanded recycling through a variety of programs.

In terms of construction, waste can be a big problem or a big opportunity when renovating a building that spans over 11 city blocks.

"The convention center is stepping up our waste diversion efforts to maximize every opportunity to reuse, recycle and repurpose as many materials as possible," he says. "For example, on a recent interior renovation project, the convention center surpassed its goal of diverting 50% of the construction waste produced and ended up keeping 84% out of landfills."

The NOENMCC is nearing completion of the first phase of a $557 million capital improvement plan that prioritizes sustainability through a new, 40-acre "cool roof" designed to better reflect heat and an additional $20.6 million in sustainability improvements including stormwater drainage, LED exhibit hall lighting, water bottle filling stations and upgraded restrooms.

McNichol says sustainability is a high priority for the PCC and an increasing number of meeting planners.

"Our facility just achieved Gold Level re-certification to the Events Industry Council Sustainable Event Standards for venues, which assessed our building and operations against specific criteria for producing and delivering environmentally and socially responsible events."

Part of the multi-faceted sustainability efforts at the PCC last year included installing new low-flow plumbing fixtures and energy-efficient LED lighting in the restrooms and renovating exhibit hall concession stands with state-of-the-art, energy-efficient appliances and LED lighting.

"This is all part of the culture of sustainability that we have worked to foster," McNichol says. "Over the past 10 years, we achieved a 54% increase in waste diversion rate, a 55% increase in single-stream recycling, a 13% decrease in electricity usage and a 30% decrease in natural gas usage."