4.2.1. Business events and tourism
Interest in the tourism value of business events, including
meetings, conventions, and exhibitions (both trade and
consumer shows) has been intense for so long that almost
all major cities now possess impressive convention and
exhibition facilities, along with agencies devoted to selling
the space and bidding on events. The first convention
bureau in the USA was established as far back as 1896
(Spiller, 2002) and the International Association of
Convention Bureaus was founded in 1914. Weber and
Chon (2002) have assessed this sector in their book
Convention Tourism: International Research and Industry
perspectives.