CTIA to combine two trade shows into single 2014 mobile conference

The wireless industry trade group CTIA announced on Wednesday that it will combine two of its trade shows into a single annual "super mobile show" that will kick off in September 2014.

CTIA said the trade show will give mobile and wireless companies "the perfect stage" to drop big product announcements ahead of the holiday shopping season. The three-day show, called Super Mobility Week, will take place in Las Vegas. 

"The wireless industry is evolving rapidly and there is a need to have a show that centers on the entire global mobile ecosystem in a way that hasn’t existed among the current shows, which is why CTIA 2014 will be unique," said Rob Mesirow, CTIA vice president and show director, in a statement. "The timing of the 2014 show will deliver the perfect stage for companies to debut mobile consumer products and services for the annual holiday buying season.” 

This year, CTIA said it will host its eponymous trade show focused on technology and consumer electronics in May and MobileCON conference in October as planned. 

The trade group said it plans to make announcements over the next few weeks about partnerships that will expand its show offerings for the new mobile conference.

“CTIA’s decision to consolidate the wireless shows is exactly what the industry needed," Ericsson Inc. CEO Angel Ruiz said in a statement. "CTIA 2014 takes the best from the specialized shows while bringing all of the right people together at the same time and place so everyone’s time can be optimized."

CNET noted that CTIA's main spring show was ill-timed because it came after the Consumer Electronics Show and Mobile World Congress trade conferences, where companies have traditionally chosen to make their major product announcements.

The trade group's members include AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile.