Movie-lovers are watching the media closely this week as CinemaCon 2012 kicks off at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The trade show, hailed as the biggest and most esteemed gathering of movie theater owners worldwide, began yesterday, April 23, and will run until Thursday, April 26.  The trade fair's schedule of events includes educational seminars and sneak preview of select upcoming releases, as well as several star-studded dinners and parties.

Theater owners can look forward to seeing tasty new popcorn toppings, top-notch 3-D glasses, and other film promotional products on the trade show floor.  But film fanatics worldwide are no doubt keeping their eyes and ears peeled for news about their favorite celebrities and the industry's most anticipated film releases.

For example, Hollywood hot shots Chris Pine and J.J. Abrams spoke about their forthcoming film "Rise of the Guardians." The Los Angeles Times reports that "'Rise of the Guardians,' is a 3-D DreamWorks Animation movie featuring folklore characters like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny; it's set for release near Thanksgiving." 

Pine praised Abrams, who is known for keeping films like "Cloverfield" and "Star Trek" under-wraps: "It's such a pain in the [butt], but I think about how awesome it is, because what he's protecting is the magic of the unknown," he told the Los Angeles Times.

Other stars who attended the trade show so far include Chris Rock, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Sylvester Stallone.

The city of Los Angeles, California is no stranger to tourism.  There the industry is already booming, and it might soon expand even further.

LA will host the U.S. Travel Association's International Pow Wow convention this April, during which the city's best hotels, top restaurants, and most intriguing cultural attractions will be on display.  After all is said and done, over 1,500 travel business operators will have passed through, collecting promotional products for tourism and helping the city to rake in an easy $10 million.  But what's even more exciting is the impact the trade show will affect Los Angeles' economy in the years to come.

According to the Los Angeles Times, "the show could generate an additional $350 million in the next two to four years from the national and international tourists it will draw to the city."

Mark Liberman, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board president and chief executive, told eTravelBlackboard that the last time Pow Wow took place in LA was in 2004, and since then so much has changed. "...[W]e are anxious to showcase the outstanding new products that our City has to offer, while generating future revenue," Liberman said.

With Pow Wow, Los Angeles hopes to show off its new and improved look. "If you haven’t seen L.A. recently, you haven’t seen L.A.," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa stated in a recent video message.  Will you be attending the big show?