McLean, VA and Oceanside, CA – Chicago claimed First Place on the third annual list of the top 50 U.S. cities for meetings and events published by Cvent, a company that specializes in event management technology and produces an online global event calendar and venue directory. Chicago moved up from the No. 2 ranking. This year, Orlando holds the No. 2 spot and Las Vegas ranks No 3. The Cvent rankings are based on bookings between July 2013 and June 2014 for 5,000 cities in its database.
These same three cities also are the most popular locations for the largest trade shows in the nation. According to Trade Show Executive’s 2014 Gold 100 directory, which will be released October 22-24 at the Gold 100 Awards &Summit, Las Vegas ranks No. 1 with 33 of the Gold 100 shows last year, a 33% market share. Chicago ranks No. 2 for large trade shows, with 13% of the market share, while Orlando ranks No. 3 with 11% market share. TSE’s Gold 100 directory is based on shows held in 2013.
Rounding out the top 10 cities on the Cvent list were: No. 4 Atlanta; No. 5 San Diego; No. 6 New York City; No. 7 Dallas; No. 8 Washington, DC; No. 9 New Orleans, and No. 10 Nashville, which cracked the top 10 for the first time. Phoenix and Miami fell out of the top 10, to No. 11 and No. 13 respectively.
Atlanta, New Orleans and New York City tied for the No. 4 slot among the most popular destinations for Gold 100 trade shows. They each hosted five shows last year for a 5% market share. Dallas and Washington, DC tied with seven other cities among the Gold 100, each hosting one of the largest trade shows, a 1% market share. Nashville and San Diego, among the top 10 on the CVent list, did not host any Gold 100 shows in 2013.
The Trade Show Executive rankings are based on the number of Gold 100 trade shows held in each market. Gold 100 shows are ranked by total net square feet used. Cvent rankings are determined by the following criteria: the number of unique requests for proposals received; total room nights booked; number of awarded requests for proposals; number of room nights awarded; and the percentage of qualified meeting venues booked.
TOP 5 CITIES, GOLD 100 CRITERIA
1. Las Vegas
2. Chicago
3. Orlando
4. (tie) Atlanta; New Orleans, New York
5. (tie) Indianapolis, Louisville
TOP 5 CITIES, CVENT CRITERIA
1. Chicago
2. Orlando
3. Las Vegas
4. Atlanta
5. San Diego
Reach Darlene Gudea, Trade Show Executive, at (760) 889-8585 or dg@tradeshowexecutive.com; Lana Sieg, CVent, at (571) 830-2335 or pr@cvent.com
