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This Just In

Show Organizers Look for NSF Valentine from February Events

HIL ANDERSON, SENIOR EDITOR

Oceanside, CA – The 2011 trade show calendar is well underway with a number of major exhibitions on the schedule in Las Vegas, Orlando, Anaheim and other warm-weather cities. Farm and construction shows dominate as work slows down for the Winter. It’s also auto show season with major events in Chicago and Toronto.

Some of the larger February events can be found on the Trade Show Executive Gold 100 rankings of largest trade shows in the U.S.

 NADA Convention & Expo:  February 5-7, Moscone Center in San Francisco. No. 63 on the Gold 100.

The National Automobile Dealers Association is expecting about 18,000 attendees. There are 24 dealer franchise meetings scheduled in San Francisco during the convention. The meetings are drawing a number of top automaker executives. Several CEOs and presidents are on the speaker roster. “Our dealers are able to meet with the manufacturers one-on-one,” said Steve Pitt, NADA vice president of conventions and expositions. “That’s huge for them.” Organizers say many U.S. dealers are back in a buying mode after putting off equipment purchases because of the recession. The exhibit area is sold out with more than 200,000 net square feet (nsf), but the event is still running below 2008 when 368,930 nsf was sold. Reach Steve Pitt at (703) 821-7140 or conven@nada.org 

 

Medical Design & Manufacturing West: February 8-10, Anaheim Convention Center. No. 43 on the Gold 100.

After 25 years as a flagship event for Canon Communications, MD&M West debuts under the United Business Media (UBM) banner. The exhibit hall is expected to cover 373,000 nsf and draw roughly 51,000 attendees from around the world. “It’s a great start to the year and the entire portfolio of UBM Canon events is ahead of last year,” said Kevin O’Keefe, senior vice president of UBM Canon. “The only change people may note at Anaheim, beyond the size and attendance gains, will be the UBM logo at the right hand corner of the signage.” Select exhibitors have an opportunity to make 30-minute presentations on their products at the Innovation Briefs Theater on the show floor. Reach Kevin O’Keefe at (310) 445-4200 or kevin.okeefe@ubm.com 

 

MAGIC Marketplace: February 14-16, Las Vegas Convention Center and the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. No. 16 on the Gold 100.

Advanstar was pleased with the showing of its Summer version of MAGIC and is looking forward to a solid showing in February, although projections of exhibit space and attendance were not available. Show managers are expanding the presence of action sports at MAGIC with RIDE Unltd., an event that will showcase not only apparel and shoes for the skater crowd but also hardware. “Retailers are traveling to fewer shows per year, so there is a greater need for brands to have a single home to meet with their core partners while at the same time developing new relationships with crossover retail,” said Chris DeMoulin, president of MAGIC International and vice president of the Advanstar Fashion Group. “We believe MAGIC provides the perfect environment for skate retailers by offering not just quantity, but quality buyers.” Ride Unltd. will be produced by Maloof Skateboarding LLC. Reach Chris DeMoulin at (310) 857-7500 or cdemoulin@advanstar.com

 

International Roofing Expo: February 16-18, Las Vegas Convention Center.

The construction industry continues looking for a comeback. Hanley Wood expects around 90,000 nsf of exhibit space and nearly 7,000 attendees. The show floor includes a new pavilion for rooftop renewable-energy products, including windmills and solar panels. Attendees will also be doing some community service by making repairs to the homes of elderly veterans. Reach Show Manager Lindsey Moeller at (972) 536-6426 or lmoeller@hanleywood.com

 

HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition: February 20-24, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando. No. 42 on the Gold 100.

Organizers are expecting exhibit space to remain largely unchanged from 2010, at approximately 390,000 nsf. More than 400 educational sessions focus on the evolving field of healthcare IT. Two separate exhibit hall areas – Connected Demonstration and the Interoperability Showcase – feature systems that are up and running and demonstrate their capabilities in complex medical situations and from the perspective of a patient going from specialist to specialist. Reach Karen Malone, vice president of meetings, at (312) 915-9217 or kmalone@himss.org

 

The Rental Show: February 27-March 2, Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. No. 52 on the Gold 100.

The American Rental Association says it has seen a 69% increase in attendee registrations and 60% increase in the number of businesses represented. There will be 80 first-time exhibitors in an exhibit hall projected at 220,000 nsf. “These first-time companies are a great complement to the long-time exhibitors we have, including those companies that have been at The Rental Showfor up to 55 years,” said association CEO Chris Wehrman. Reach Chris Wehrman at (309) 764-2475 or chris.wehrman@ararental.org

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