Jumping headlong to promote what is branded a “Golden Decade,” when massive projects such as OCVIBE and DisneylandForward will transform the destination, Visit Anaheim is out on the road with a new tradeshow booth concept that also looks to the future via its immersive, experiential design.
The DMO unveiled the new booth concept at one of the largest tourism tradeshows in the world, IPW 2025, held June 14-18 in Chicago. Meeting and event professionals will be able to experience it firsthand at IMEX America 2025, held October 7-9 in Las Vegas.
“Anaheim is entering into what we're calling the Golden Decade, so how are we amplifying this message and educating and inspiring people about what's to come?” asked Scott Oklin, chief marketing officer for Visit Anaheim. “For us, the [IPW 2025] tradeshow was really this stake in the ground—Anaheim is here and we need to start to really explain it to people in real time. The new tradeshow booth just takes it to a whole new level. The intention is really to provide this immersive experience to show what it feels like to come to the destination.”
According to Oklin, unique features of the booth include a light, citrusy signature scent that dispenses from the base of a large multimedia sphere, along with a five-foot-deep immersive tunnel where visitors will be captivated by iconic imagery of the destination.
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“We want them to feel Anaheim, certainly, while they're here, and maybe most importantly, we want them to feel Anaheim when they go home so that they're telling people about it and inspiring people even more so through word of mouth,” he said. “This tradeshow booth is really a statement for us, as well as an experience to really step out into our own.”
A Feast of Multimedia
Developed by Skyline, the booth leans hard into multimedia animation displays, featuring a 16-minute digital video showcasing iconic Anaheim locations alongside dedicated hospitality areas that allow for personalization across leisure, group and convention markets.
“Everything that you see on the front of the booth is synced up across the board, so the sphere is speaking to the wall is speaking to the tunnel, and we have a real-time video on the back wall,” Oklin explained. “The investment is serious, ongoing and is very much intended to be multiyear. All of the assets are digital because we're going to be evolving our brand—because our destination is evolving in real time—so that we can swap things in and out.”
Oklin said the booth is designed to be very flexible, in order to appeal to specific audiences at different tradeshows.
“The booth will have a different feel when we go to IMEX and when we have group presentations that we need to activate, to appeal to the different audiences at these different tradeshows and conferences to make it relevant to them,” he explained.
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NAMM Extends Its Long Anaheim Run
A longtime fixture of Anaheim’s annual tradeshow calendar has re-upped for the future, with NAMM (the National Association of Music Merchants), the largest music products tradeshow in the world, extending its contract with the Anaheim Convention Center through 2030.
Considered Anaheim’s marquee annual event, NAMM will celebrate its 50th year in the destination in 2026, a year that also marks the show’s 125th year.
“For five decades, NAMM has helped shape Anaheim’s identity as a gathering place for music, creativity and connection,” said Mike Waterman, president and CEO of Visit Anaheim, during a ceremony commemorating the extension. “This renewed commitment through 2030 reflects the strength of our partnership and the shared value we bring to the city, the industry and the community.”
Related Podcast: Anaheim Unveils a "Golden Decade" for Meetings
