SAN DIEGO – The celebrated electronics expo CES collected four Grand Awards and the National Restaurant Association received the trophy for the Greatest Trade Show of 2018 at this year’s dynamic Trade Show Executive Gold 100 Gala in San Diego.
The high-profile CES notched four Grand Awards for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), including the Largest Trade Show of 2018 with more than 2.7 million nsf of exhibit space. Gary Shapiro, CTA President and CEO, closed out the gala by receiving TSE’s highest honor, the Gold Standard in Excellence Award for his advocacy work and for bringing world-wide publicity to our industry. CES was also honored as Show with the Most Commendable Green Initiatives, and the Marketing Genius of the Year Award.
The National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show was the star show of the year by virtue of its innovation, high level of planning and execution. The 2018 champ also turned in some sizzling metrics, including a 715,108-net square foot (nsf) exhibit floor that placed the show 15th on the Gold 100 rankings of the year’s largest exhibitions. The annual Chicago expo received the trophies as well for being the Most Innovative Show of 2018 and having The Most Impressive Surge in Sponsorship Sales.
“Congratulations to all of our Grand Awards honorees and all 100 of the shows that made up the latest Gold 100 class. To reach this stage is a great achievement,” said TSE Publisher and Editor Gabrielle Weiss. “Gary Shapiro’s undeniable contribution to our industry was a significant honor and we are thankful for his support and efforts. Mary Pat Heftman and her team’s efforts were hard-won in the competitive category of Greatest Show of 2018. All of our Grand Award winners and our Women to Watch recipients are great examples of the entire industry’s accomplishments in 2018.”
Reed Exhibitions’ G2E – Global Gaming Expo was also a multiple winner with a pair of Grand Awards, and Informa Markets was declared the Top Organizer of 2018 after landing a dozen shows on the Gold 100 rankings totaling well over 5 million nsf of exhibit space.
The awards presentations capped another memorable Gold 100 Awards & Summit for the organizers of the 100-largest trade shows of the previous year. This year’s event brought together more than 100 show organizers and industry partners at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego for nearly a week of education, networking, and the presentations of the iconic crystal Grand Awards trophies.
The full list of Grand Award recipients:
Largest Annual Trade Show of 2018: CES
Largest Semi-Annual Trade Show of 2018: MAGIC – February
Fastest-Growing Gold 100 Show in NSF (by Percentage of Growth): Annual Police-Security Expo
Fastest-Growing Gold 100 Show by Blended Growth: AIA Conference on Architecture
Fastest-Growing Non-Annual Gold 100 Show in NSF (in Sheer Numbers): International Woodworking Fair
Gold 100 Show with the Most Continual Growth: SuperZoo
Best Show Extension Overseas in 2018: G2E – Global Gaming Expo
Best Consumer Component within a Trade Show in 2018: E3
Best Use of Technology in 2018: JCK Las Vegas
Most Impressive Surge in Sponsorship Sales in 2018: National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show
Stickiest Show Floor in 2018: Veterinary Meeting and Expo (VMX)
Most Extreme Results from Social Media in 2018: The International Surface Event: SURFACES | StonExpo/Marmomac | TileExpo
Most Innovative Show in 2018: National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show
Slam-Dunk Award: Best New Idea of 2018: RSNA Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting (Radiological Society of North America) and the Functional Fabric Fair (tie)
The Do-Gooder Award: G2E – Global Gaming Expo
Marketing Genius Award: CES
Top Show Organizer for 2018: Informa Markets
Show with the Most Commendable Green Initiatives in 2018: CES
Greatest Trade Show of 2018: National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show
Gold Standard in Excellence Award: Gary Shapiro
Save the date! Next year’s Gold 100 Awards & Summit will take place at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara from Oct. 7-9.
Reach Gabrielle Weiss at (312) 493-7753 or gweiss@tradeshowexecutive.com.
