The UFC and Reed Exhibitions have announced that the UFC Expo will return to Las Vegas over Memorial Day Weekend next year on May 28th and 29th.
ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP® AND REED EXHIBITIONS ANNOUNCE
DATES FOR THE NEXT UFC® FAN EXPO™
(LAS VEGAS, NV) – This past July, the first-ever UFC Fan Expo took the sports world by storm, as fans celebrated the past, present, and future of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. So by popular demand, the UFC, in partnership with Reed Exhibitions, has announced that the second UFC Fan Expo will take place May 28-29, 2010, back in Las Vegas, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
The jam-packed two-day event, occurring during Memorial Day Weekend 2010, will provide fans with the opportunity to experience a number of special events, fighter appearances, autograph signings, and training & development sessions with elite fighters and industry leaders.
Over 200 leading companies are expected to exhibit, covering 200,000 gross square feet of space, and will feature apparel, electronic gaming, food & beverages, fight gear, fitness equipment and supplies, nutritional supplements, lifestyle products, and much more.
“I was blown away by the response to the first UFC Fan Expo. We have the greatest fans in the world,” said UFC President Dana White. “Our next Fan Expo is going to be another incredible event, we are taking it to the next level, and offering even more exciting ways to experience UFC.”
“We’re excited to be coming back to Vegas and next year’s event is going to be bigger and better than the first time around,” said Ed Gallo, Event Director for UFC Fan Expo.
The inaugural UFC Fan Expo took place in July 2009 during the historic UFC 100 weekend, providing over 15 hours of keynote addresses, special events, and training & development sessions. It was also the site for the first Grappling Tournament ever held in conjunction with a UFC event. With so much in store for the second UFC Fan Expo, organizers expect the event to really be taken to the next level.
For more information on UFC Fan Expo and to purchase tickets, visit www.ufcfanexpo.com. To subscribe to the official UFC Fan Expo newsletter visit www.ufcfanexpo.com/newsletter. For companies interested in reserving space at this premier event, contact Ed Gallo, Event Director at 1-203-840-5546 or email egallo@ufcfanexpo.com.
Payout Perspective:
We’ve been hearing rumours in the past few months that the UFC would be holding two shows in May, and now we know why. They’ll likely hit May 1st with Machida-Shogun II in Montreal and then hold another event in Vegas to coincide with the expo.
The UFC managed to turn UFC 100 into the UFC 100 Weekend last year largely on the heels of a fantastic expo. The organization capitalized on a perfect storm of media coverage for that show; bringing in the expo, having just released the video game, having Lesnar and GSP headline the event, and campaigning hard for media coverage from ESPN.
Expect the same type of effort on behalf of the UFC next May. The UFC realizes how important momentum can be, and if they can produce a lot of media coverage and put on a great show in May, it’ll likely set the tone for the organization throughout the rest of the summer.
What a summer it could be, too: another round of the video game (mid-May), Lesnar’s return in July, an event in Boston and possibly Vancouver. It’s been a rough second half to 2009, but things are looking up for 2010.
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