CHICAGO — Several key numbers are on the rise in Trade Show Executive’s (TSE) 2024 Q4 Dashboard, posting rate increases since Q3. While some metrics have dipped slightly, overall Q4 closed out the year on a high note for the industry. The full Dashboard report, available in the March issue, breaks down occupied exhibit space, exhibitor quantity and attendance while also touching on highlights for each show contained in Q4.
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This quarter’s edition of the Dashboard report covers 71 shows in total. Net square footage (nsf) was up at 51 events, with 20 experiencing double-digit growth. Number of exhibitors increased at 47 gatherings, 20 of which had double-digit expansions, and one even achieved a triple-digit improvement in this metric. Attendees flocked to Q4 shows as well, with 42 exhibitions raising this stat. Nineteen meetings had double-digit gains while two reached triple-digit increases. Lastly, 32 events recorded more professional attendance than the prior show edition, with 12 seeing climbs in the double-digits and two growing by triple-digits.
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Overall Q4’s events filled 10,531,318 nsf, brought in 36,129 exhibitors and assembled 960,808 total attendees and 434,068 professional attendees once adjusted for outliers and shows without a consecutive two-year comparison. Exhibitor quantity and nsf both ticked up after dropping from Q2 to Q3, however attendee numbers, both professional and overall, lagged behind to close out 2024. NSF paced growth in Q4 at 2.5%, an improvement from 1.3% in Q3. Exhibitors saw an improvement from 1.5% in Q3 to 2.8% in Q4. Total attendees remained on the rise, albeit at a slower rate, with a 0.7% improvement in Q4 compared to 4.1% in Q3. Professional attendance growth has slipped for the fourth consecutive quarter and declined to a rate of -1.1% in Q4, falling into the red for the first time since 2022.
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Two shows led growth categories in Q4: MCON produced by MCON LIVE and The Hospitality Show managed by Questex LLC and the American Hotel & Lodging Association. MCON marked a 163.8% uptick in exhibitors as well as a jump of 170% in attendance, the highest of Q4 shows in both metrics. The Hospitality Show had the biggest rise in nsf among Q4 meetings, with 79% and also attained growth of 43.4% in exhibitors and 26.3% in attendees.
To submit show data to be included in TSE’s quarterly analysis, use this link: https://tradeshowexecutive.com/dashboardentryform.
Check out the full Dashboard in the March issue of TSE Magazine. Subscribe to receive a copy today at https://tsx.magserv.com/cgi-bin/subscribe.
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