(Above is a drone flyover view from the Vegas Means Business website.)
Registration has now opened for the spring NAB Show. The convention takes place April 18–22.
Major renovation work at the Las Vegas Convention Center is complete. Show organizers promise “a more modern, connected and intuitive campus experience” that includes better lighting, contemporary finishes and clearer sightlines.
Approximately 100 radio and TV technology exhibitors will be newly concentrated in an area of the reopened Central Hall just inside a new front entrance to the freshly renovated Central Hall.
Structurally, the front of Central will have a soaring architectural feature matching the West Hall. Central’s front wall was brought forward, creating a new indoor hallway where an outdoor patio and bus canopy once stood. (You can see a panorama of the new Central Hall entrance here.)
Last year’s convention drew about 55,000 people. The post-COVID high for the event has been 65K in 2023.
In an announcement, Karen Chupka, executive vice president, NAB Global Connections and Events, said, “The breakthroughs we’re seeing in AI, cloud and new content models are redefining how our industry works, and 2026 will reflect that shift.”
An expanded four-day Sports Summit will explore the future of sports rights and fan engagement in a theater on the floor of the West Hall; it will be open to all attendees for the first time.
A three-day program will focus on the business of media and entertainment, in partnership with The Ankler. This too will take place on the exhibit floor in West Hall and be open to all attendees.
The Creator Lab will have an expanded footprint and will be in Central Hall. NAB said the creator economy is projected to be valued at $500 billion by 2027.
Show organizers will launch a new NAB Show mobile app in March that will include tools for creating and managing schedules. It will allow attendees to exchange contact information via QR code onsite, among other improvements.
