CHICAGO — Data the Trade Show Executive (TSE) research department’s Dashboard reveals the trade show industry experienced a strong first quarter in 2023, with all the shows held in Q1 being held in person, and nearly double-digit growth for exhibitors, total attendance and professional attendance.
The data, which will be published in full in the June 2023 edition of TSE Magazine, also shows that out of the 72 shows held, 60 shows grew in net square feet (nsf), with 45 seeing double-digit growth in the metric, and 60 shows also grew in total attendance.
Overall, the Dashboard recorded that the Q1 shows totaled 17,221,374 nsf, 46,388 exhibitors and 1,517,627 in attendance. The shows held in Q1 saw a 9.9% increase in exhibitors, 7.3% in exhibit space and 9.5% increase in total attendance, after adjusting for outliers and shows without a consecutive two-year comparison. The growth in exhibit space and exhibitors is on par with what was seen in Q1 of 2022.
Related. 2023 CONEXPO-CON/AGG Was the Largest Edition of the Show in History
Leading the way on the Q1 Dashboard for the number of shows held is the Consumer Goods and Retail Trade industry sector with 13 shows, the Medical and Healthcare industry with 12 shows and the Building, Construction, Home and Repair industry with 10 shows. Notably, CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023, which is held every three years and was the largest edition of the trade show to date, was the largest show in the first quarter, spanning an impressive 2,834,835 nsf.
“The Q1 Dashboard confirms that the trade show industry is back to business, and back in a strong way,” TSE Vice President and Editor-in-Chief Gabrielle Weiss said. “We are just about to hold our TSE Fastest 50 Awards & Summit where we will recognize the fastest-growing shows of 2022, and those honorees broke TSE records for their astounding growth rates. Based on TSE’s research, 2023 is looking to be a similarly impressive year.”
Check out the full Dashboard in the June issue of TSE Magazine. Subscribe to receive a copy today at https://tsx.magserv.com/cgi-bin/subscribe.
To submit show data to be included in TSE’s quarterly analysis, use this link: https://tradeshowexecutive.com/dashboardentryform/
Reach Gabrielle Weiss at (312) 493-7753 or gweiss@tradeshowexecutive.com
