New York's Top 100 Events 2015 - Trade Shows & Conventions
1. New York International Auto Show
#1 Trade Show & Convention
More than a million people are expected to attend the 115th annual show this year. The Greater New York Auto Dealers Association's flagship event sprawls over 950,000 square feet in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and adjacent pavilion areas. Next: April 3-12, 2015
2. New York Comic Con & Anime Festival
#2 Trade Show & Convention
More than 150,000 comic and anime fans filled the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center last year, as the organizers expanded the show with the launch of “Super Week,” 150 events taking place throughout the city in the nine days leading up to Comic Con. Next: October 8-11, 2015
3. New York International Motorcycle Show
#3 Trade Show & Convention
Shifting to a December time slot led to a rocky start for the Progressive Insurance-sponsored show in 2013, but it rebounded in 2014, attracting 63,515 attendees, an eight percent jump over the previous year. Next: December 11-13, 2015
4. New York Boat Show
#4 Trade Show & Convention
At 110 years old, the event still draws huge crowds to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. In 2015, visitors got to check out attractions like a 51-foot, $1.2 million yacht and a special exhibit honoring the FDNY. Progressive Insurance is the title sponsor. Next: January 6-10, 2016
5. NY Now
#5 Trade Show & Convention
The summer version of the biannual gift fair encompasses more than half a million square feet of exhibit space at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Pier 94 on the Hudson River; winter’s saw some 2,500 exhibitors in home, crafts, gifts, and related categories. Next: August 15-19, 2015
6. Greater New York Dental Meeting
#6 Trade Show & Convention
The meeting had nearly 54,000 registrants for its 90th anniversary last year, including 18,300 dentists, and organizers say they expect a bigger crowd in 2015. Next: November 27-December 2, 2015
7. Retail's Big Show
#7 Trade Show & Convention
The National Retail Federation’s flagship event drew a crowd of 33,000 for its 104th annual convention in January. Next: January 17-20, 2016
8. The New York Times Travel Show
#8 Trade Show & Convention (up from #10)
This year’s show had more than 500 exhibitors—including 130 first-timers—and more than 28,500 attendees, a jump of more than 10 percent in trade attendance and nearly 25 percent in consumer attendees over last year. Next: January 8-10, 2016
9. American International Toy Fair
#9 Trade Show & Convention
Billed as the largest toy fair in the Western Hemisphere, the annual product marketplace is produced by nonprofit trade association Toy Industry Association. This year saw 30,000 attendees from 100 countries filling a record-breaking 422,000 square feet of exhibit space at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Next: February 2016
