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?

Here in New York, we just recently had our first snowfall of the season.  But out by Denver, Colorado, ski enthusiasts and snow-sports manufacturers are already preparing for next winter.  According to the Denver Post, apparel featuring bright colors and bold patterns will continue to dominate next year.

New lines of vibrantly-colored promotional outerwear for 2013 were presented at last week's SIA Snow Show in Denver.  "The brighter the colors, the faster it sells," Colorado Ski & Sports apparel buyer, Mary Mancini, told the Denver Post. "It pops on the snow." 

According to Linda Rodney, national sales director for Sport Obermeyer, the loud looks may be in reaction to our nation's down economy. "When things are gloomy, people like to be bright. A big trend we are seeing is bright and printed bottoms to match the bright jackets that have been popular for the past couple seasons," Rodney said.

What do you think of the flashy colors presented at the SIA Snow Show in Denver?  Would you wear one of these prominent pieces?

The majority of New York-based trade shows are currently held at Manhattan's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.  The assembly hall ranks only 12th in the nation in size, leaving much to be desired; it's beat out by tradeshow centers in both California and Georgia.  But New York trade shows may soon receive a face lift; last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled plans to develop a massive new convention center in Queens, NY.

According to the New York Post, Cuomo, who recently called the Javits Center "obsolete," asserts that the area needs a larger convention center in order to compete.  Mayor Bloomberg has also voiced his support for the privately-funded project:  "All of us have agreed that we need a bigger convention center. Could you imagine what we could do if we had a world-class, appropriate-sized convention center?" he said.

The new hall would be built in Queens between New York City's biggest airports.  Meanwhile, the Javits Center, which the San Francisco Chronicle called "too small ... and poorly suited for the kind of bold, glitzy convention center that would be appropriate for Manhattan," would be converted into office space, housing, hotel rooms, and more.

Not only does the initiative have the potential to create thousands of jobs, but it may also draw in more visitors to the New York region.  What's most exciting about the proposed tradeshow center is its sheer size. "Let's build the largest convention center in the nation, period," Cuomo said.  Imagine the amount of trade show giveaways you could collect at a show in the country's biggest convention center!

What do you think -- would a sparkling new convention hall have you visiting New York more often?

If you've ever stayed at a bed and breakfast, you know that innkeepers wear several hats throughout a guest's stay.  They've got to do everything -- from housekeeping to online marketing -- to bring in guests and keep their clients happy.  It should come as no surprise then that the upcoming InnSpire Conference and Trade Show will offer such a diverse array of seminars for attendees.

"Keeping up with all of the skills required to run a bed and breakfast can be overwhelming--especially as it relates to technology--but it's critical to the innkeepers' success with so many travel decisions made online," says CABBI Program Coordinator Jenn Wheaton. "The InnSpire conference helps to bridge the gap and provide in-depth information that innkeepers can put to use."

On the agenda are educational sessions on Internet marketing strategies, ADA compliancy, social media networking, identity theft, and more.  So if you're looking to pick up pointers on everything from hotel guest amenities to marketing, this is the trade show for you!

According to a press release, the InnSpire Conference and Trade Show will be held in Sacramento, California January 22 - January 24.  The 2012 event will hosted by the California Association of Bed & Breakfast Innkeepers (CABBI).

On Monday, November 11, the 42nd Annual Tourism Tradeshow Showcase took place in Kennewick, Washington.  Its goal was to put on display the many reasons to visit the Tri-Cities area.  This year's event was particularly important; the state of Washington recently completely eliminated its tourism budget.

According to NBC, over 55 exhibitors appeared at the yearly trade show with promo tourism giveaways in hand, representing a variety of industries, from wineries to museums.  One such company is the Wine County Balloon tour, which showed off its hot air balloons at the trade fair.

NBC reports that, despite the dropping of Washington's tourism budget, "tourism in the Tri-Cities has been 'on the rise.'"  In fact, the term was coined as the 42nd Annual Tourism Tradeshow Showcase's theme.  Are you planning a trip to the Tri-Cities area soon?