Attendance Bounces Back in January

Oceanside, CA – Trade shows held in January showed signs of good growth in attendance but lagged in net square feet and exhibitor counts, according to the Trade Show Executive Dashboard of Monthly Trade Show Metrics,which will bereleased online on March 1. Based on the 18 major shows held in January and surveyed by TSE, attendance grew 4.2% to a total of 571,236 participants. However, the benchmark for exhibit space slid (14.9)% to 6,738,625 nsf and exhibitors fell (5.3)% to 17,609. Much of the attendance growth was driven by the high performance of four shows, all of which grew more than 10%. “The events in TSE’s January Dashboard include a heavy dose of shows in the consumer goods sector, and buyers are clearly optimistic about future retail sales,” said Darlene Gudea, president of Trade Show Executive Media Group. “At the same time, there are continuing questions about whether attendance growth is sustainable. Joblessness is still a major obstacle to a full recovery in both the economy and exposition industry,” she said.