#1 Trade Show & Convention
The pop culture convention takes over San Diego every July, growing each year in terms of celebrity tie-ins and general attendees, currently estimated at around 130,000 at the San Diego Convention Center. Brands host copious related events at venues all over town, like nightclubs, hotels, and transformed parking lots. Next: July 24-27, 2014
#2 Trade Show & Convention
Held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the car expo saw a successful revamp last year, led by president Lisa Kaz and new general manager Teri Toennies. The event added a third press day and a showcase known as Motor Press Guild Invitational that replaced the stale morning keynotes. As a result of the changes, the press days audience grew from 12,750 to 16,00 with a 20 percent increase in news coverage, totaling 2.41 billion impressions. Public days soared, too, with close to a million attending. Next: November 22-December 1, 2014
#3 Trade Show & Convention
Popularly known as E3, the expo takes over the Los Angeles Convention Center each June. The show, which is owned by the Entertainment Software Association and generates an estimated $40 million in revenue for the city, draws about 50,000 attendees, including computer and video game companies, business partners, media, and industry analysts from more than 100 countries. Next: June 2015
#4 Trade Show & Convention (up from #5)
The National Association of Music Merchants’ event is more than a century old and is considered one of the biggest and most important music products shows in the world. The 2014 run drew nearly 96,000 people from more than 100 countries to the Anaheim Convention Center. A contract keeps the show in Anaheim through 2018. Next: January 22-25, 2015
#6 Trade Show & Convention
The massive event, regarded as the top trade show for the natural, organic, and healthy food industry, fills the Anaheim Convention Center with more than 2,600 exhibitors and more than 67,000 attendees over 350,000 net square feet. Next: March 5-8, 2015
#7 Trade Show & Convention
Produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance, the event brings the global film industry to Santa Monica for eight days of deal making as well as screenings, conferences, networking, and parties. The event draws 8,000 industry pros from more than 70 countries for 700 screenings and the industry’s largest conference series. Next: November 5-12, 2014
#8 Trade Show & Convention
Billed as the largest travel show in the United States, the show is now in its ninth year and in 2014 set a new record with more than 33,000 attendees and 450 exhibitors. At the Long Beach Convention Center, the event’s four stages had capacity crowds for each session, plus there was a 1,000-seat main stage sponsored by Travel Channel. Next: February 21-22, 2015
#9 Trade Show & Convention
The Progressive Insurance-sponsored exhibition at the Los Angeles Convention Center and in the water at Marina del Rey is among the longest-running boat shows in the country, now in its 57th consecutive year. The event features a kids’ zone, a block party, and a seminar series. This year saw a 15 percent gain in attendance at 13,497 compared to 11,785 in 2013. Next: February 19-22, 2015
#10 Trade Show & Convention
The expo takes over the L.A. Convention Center in the winter and summer—January and July—and it’s the biggest show of its kind on the West Coast. There are 10,000 product lines spread across more than 200,000 square feet. Since acquiring the show in 2012, Urban Expositions has worked to reinvent the event, bringing back more top-name lines and new resources. This summer’s run includes a new Retail Marketing Bootcamp series. Next: July 18-21, 2014
