Las Vegas
#1 Technology Industry Event (up from #2)
The debut show in 1967 wasn’t exactly a small event, bringing in 17,500 attendees and 250 exhibitors to two hotels in New York. The event overcame some struggles—it cancelled its 1995 summer show because of competition from the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), and in 1998 merged its winter and summer editions into one show. But now it holds a secure spot as the top tech event, where the world learns about the next must-have gadgets. Over the years the show has introduced the VCR, camcorder, Microsoft Xbox, and Blu-ray Disc, and in 2014 there were more than 20,000 product announcements. It covered more than two million square feet of exhibit space in the Las Vegas Convention Center and drew nearly 160,500 attendees and 3,670 exhibitors this year. The show also deploys innovative technology at the event itself, from show-specific apps to beacon technology to guide attendees around the show floor. “The sheer number of devices and how ubiquitous they are in our lives and the importance and relevance of the technology industry to consumers lives speaks to the growth and success of C.E.S. as well,” says Tara Dunion, a spokesperson for the show. Next: January 6-9, 2015
San Francisco
#2 Technology Industry Event (up from #3)
The cloud computing show from Salesforce.com offers more than 1,400 sessions, big-name speakers, and performers: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Tony Robbins, and Bruno Mars are all on this year’s schedule. Next: October 13-16, 2014
Los Angeles
#4 Technology Industry Event (up from #6)
Known as E3, the expo is devoted to computer and video games and draws nearly 50,000 industry professionals, analysts, and retailers to the Los Angeles Convention Center. The event has a huge social media reach, with more than two million posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram combined this year. Next: June 16-18, 2015
San Francisco
#5 Technology Industry Event (up from #7)
The two-day developer conference draws about 5,000 participants to learn about the search giant’s products. Often the event includes a gimmicky stunt, like this year’s Google Cardboard, a D.I.Y. kit for attendees that turned into a virtual reality viewer. Next: Spring/Summer 2015
New York/San Francisco
#6 Technology Industry Event (up from #8)
The technology website’s conference includes panels of venture capitalists, editors, and guests as well as a competition among start-up companies to win the Disrupt Cup—and $50,000. A weekend-long hackathon precedes the event. Next: Spring 2015, New York
San Francisco
#7 Technology Industry Event (up from #9)
Targeting information technology professionals, the event has more than 2,500 sessions spread across 18 venues. About 60,000 people attend the event in person, while the company estimates 2.1 million online attendees also check it out. Next: September 28-October 2, 2014
National
#8 Technology Industry Event (up from #10)
The company’s annual education and training event drew a record 26,000 attendees in 2014, a 30 percent increase over the previous year. Next: June 7-11, 2015, San Diego
Orlando
#9 Technology Industry Event (up from #11)
More than 20,000 people attend the software company’s conference, but its online platform and social media channels reach an additional 125,000 people. Next: May 5-7, 2015
