Nearly two dozen large trade shows helped the exhibitor and exhibit space numbers bounce up nicely in October, rebounding from a disappointing September.
According to this month’s Trade Show Executive Dashboard of Monthly Trade Show Metrics, exhibit space increased 2.4% in October, compared to October 2017. The number of exhibitors grew by 2.0% and attendance dipped 0.6%, the data showed.
The average among the 37 shows held in October was 244,953 nsf of exhibit space, 706 exhibitors, and a respectable sized crowd of 20,321. A dozen of the shows reported growth in each of the three metrics, while four declined in all three.
Here are some of October’s highlights:
- The month’s biggest show, the biennial machinery show PACK EXPO, added just 16 nsf to the exhibit floor, but it was enough to set a show record of 1,249,751 nsf. The number of exhibitors fell by 2.1% to 2,460, but on the bright side, there were 457 first-time participants.
- Also setting a show record for attendance was ANCC National Magnet Conference. The audience grew 32.4% to a record 10,472. Exhibitors and exhibitor space also soared, by 14.8% and 21.3% respectively.
- After Hurricane Irma blew through Florida last September and forced The Landscape Show to postpone its event by two months, which hurt its metrics. But the show regained its footing this year. Compared to last year, exhibit space was up 57.1% (83,244) and exhibitors increased 49.6% to 401. Even attendance was up by 7.8% (6,126).
- A new app helped the record sized crowd (12,832 – a 2.4% bump) at October Atlanta Apparel navigate the 113,761 nsf of exhibit space (up 12.9%). The number of exhibitors also rose by 7.4%.
- With help from a U.S. Supreme Court decision this spring that opened the door to legal sports betting in the U.S., and increased interest in corporate sports books, the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) grew in exhibit space (2.9% to 293,088) and attendance (1.1% to 27,067). But the number of exhibitors actually declined by (11.1)%, to 400.
- The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fresh Summit Convention & Expo donated 250,531 pounds of fresh produce to local food banks and Hurricane Michael relief agencies following its Orlando show. It’s the second straight year it’s done this.
The top cities in October were Las Vegas (eight shows totaling 3,234,948 nsf), Orlando (four shows totaling 1,674,916 nsf) and Chicago (three events at 1,461,323 nsf).
The industry is expecting to have a robust January, a perennially huge month for the industry. Top shows include CES, the ever-expanding Las Vegas electronics show with 2.75 million nsf and 4,500 exhibitors. CES will have a new section this year focused on resilience and technologies that bounce back from various issues.
In Las Vegas, the SHOT Show will feature new educational sessions tailored for law enforcement personnel. More than 500 exhibitors will be at that show, a member of TSE Gold 100 and Fastest 50.
The show named the Greatest Trade Show of the Year at this fall’s TSE Gold 100 – Reed’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando – will have nearly 1 million nsf of exhibit space and 40,000 attendees. At the NAMM Show in Anaheim, a new feature for purveyors of heavyweight commercial sound systems for concert venues and arenas will be unveiled.
Read this month’s entire report here: https://tinyurl.com/TSE-Dash-2018
