Trade Shows, Conventions & Conferences Southern California 2019

Up from #2
The country’s most well-known pop culture convention is also San Diego’s biggest event, creating an estimated economic impact of $140 million. What started as a small gathering in 1970 is now a massive four-day convention where brands, TV networks, movie studios, and comic publishers showcase their products through wacky stunts, public fan experiences, and over-the-top parties. With attendance inside the convention center capped at 130,000 people, brands regularly take to the streets to create fan experiences at local hotels, parks, bars, and parking lots. The convention recently won a lawsuit over its trademark, meaning no other convention can use the term “comic-con” in its title. Next: July 18-21, 2019 See more: Comic-Con 2018: Inside the Most Creative Brand Activations and Parties

Now in its 112th year, the auto show continues to draw a crowd to the 10-day public event, which spans almost one million square feet of the Los Angeles Convention Center and has an annual economic impact of roughly $119 million. Featuring test drives, celebrity appearances, virtual-reality simulators, and more than 1,000 new vehicles on display, the show kicks off the North American auto show season each year. In 2016, the show’s Press and Trade Days merged with the Connected Car Expo to become AutoMobility L.A., a distinct four-day trade show featuring vehicle debuts that takes place directly before the public event. The 2018 auto show featured a gaming lounge from Amazon, free test drives, rides with professional drivers on a custom-built 18,000-square-foot course, and more. Next: November 22-December 1, 2019

The Entertainment Software Association drew more than 69,000 video-game-industry professionals from 100 countries to 2018's three-day expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center, as well as 3,250 products and video games from more than 200 exhibitors. For the second consecutive year, the sold-out event welcomed 15,000 fans for panels and presentations at Novo at L.A. Live. New to the show was the 7,500-square-foot E3 ESL Arena Stage, which held a live esports competition inside the convention center. The event showcased eye-catching booths from Epic Games, Nintendo, Bethesda, and more. Next: June 11-13, 2019
See more: E3 2018: 18 Unconventional Booth Ideas From the Splashy Video Game Expo

The National Association of Music Merchants show is the country’s largest event for the music products industry; the 2019 edition in January drew a record-breaking 115,301 people to the Anaheim Convention Center. The show also saw more than 2,000 exhibiting members representing 7,000 brands, plus a daylong Retail Innovation Summit, more than 250 educational sessions, and the 34th annual Technical Excellence & Creativity Awards. Next: January 16-19, 2020

The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation produces the expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The rapidly growing event had an attendance cap—110,000—for the first time in 2018, and it drew more than 524 exhibitors, 1,700 volunteers, and fans from more than 70 countries. The convention featured more than 900 hours of programming and live streamed 50 hours of content globally for the second time. Organizers estimate that the event had $100 million in economic impact for local hotels and businesses. Next: July 4-7, 2019

Up from #9
In late April, the Milken Institute’s 22nd annual gathering drew more than 5,000 attendees from more than 60 countries to see a diverse lineup of world leaders and public figures speak on the topic of “Driving Shared Prosperity.” This year’s diverse speaker roster included acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, actress Laura Linney, athlete Alex Rodriguez, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, directors Anthony and Joe Russo, and many others. Next: Spring 2020

Billed as the world’s largest natural, organic, and healthy products event, the 39th annual expo had record attendance in 2019, drawing more than 86,000 attendees from 136 companies, plus 3,600 exhibiting companies. Produced by New Hope Network, a division of Informa, the show was held at the Anaheim Convention Center with additional education and social events taking place at the nearby Hilton hotel. Clean water activist Erin Brockovich delivered the keynote presentation this year. Next: March 3-7, 2020

The weeklong annual motion-picture business event dates back to 1981 and results in more than $1 billion in deals every year. The 39th edition, held in Santa Monica in November, drew 7,143 participants and 1,357 buyers from 73 countries. The year saw a bigger emphasis on education, with expanded programming that brought more than 150 industry experts to three stages. Next: November 16-13, 2019

Up from #12
The ninth edition of VidCon—the first since the online-video convention was acquired by Viacom earlier in 2018—drew 30,000 fans, video creators, and industry attendees to the Anaheim Convention Center in June. The three-day event featured Q&As, screenings, and workshops with executives from Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and more, plus the biggest up-and-coming online video stars. Brands such as MTV, Twitter, and Snapchat host colorful activations for the teen-heavy crowd. Next: July 10-13, 2019 See more: VidCon 2018: 26 Colorful Ways Brands Targeted Generation Z

Up from #11
The 31st annual invite-only event for finance professionals, hosted by investment banking firm Roth Capital Partners, drew more than 4,700 attendees to the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, in March. Executives from more than 500 companies made presentations at the event’s daytime sessions, while high-profile performers, including Blink-182, performed at the conference’s evening events. New this year was an increased focus on charitable giving: To enter the after-party, each attendee was asked to donate at least $200 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The conference has previously raised more than $1 million for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, a cause it continues to raise money for during its daytime sporting activities. Next: March 15-17, 2020 See more: How This Financial Conference Avoids Being Stuffy

New to the list
The Makers Conference, now in its fifth year, draws advocates for women’s rights from the tech, entertainment, business, and nonprofit fields. The 2019 edition was held at Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point in February and drew big-name speakers and activists including Gloria Steinem, Jennifer Garner, Terry Crews, Jameela Jamil, and Tarana Burke; previous years’ speakers have included Sheryl Sandberg, Diane von Furstenberg, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. The three-day summit is hosted by feminist media brand Makers, and it hosts about 500 attendees. Next: Winter 2020

The consumer event at the Los Angeles Convention Center draws big-name speakers in the travel industry every year, including Frommer's Guide editor Pauline Frommer, Expedition Unknown host Josh Gates, and travel writer Rick Steves for the 14th edition in February. The two-day event regularly draws about 37,000 people. Next: February 15-16, 2020

Up from #15
Santa Monica-based venture capital firm Upfront Ventures hosts the annual three-day tech conference, a free but invitation-only event. The 2019 edition in February brought almost 1,500 entrepreneurs, tech investors, and thought leaders to Malibu for a camp-theme conference, which featured speakers including Stacey Abrams, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark Cuban, and Dan Rather. Next: February 2020