Top 100 Events in the United States 2018 - Trade Shows

Detroit
#1 Trade Show
Organized by the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, the largest auto show in North America continues to thrive. This year, the event drew 809,161 attendees and had an economic impact of $480 million—up $30 million from the previous year. The show saw 218 brands participate and a 40 percent increase in startup participation. The event also raised nearly $5.1 million for local southeastern Michigan children’s charities from its annual single-night fund-raiser. Next: January 19-27, 2019

Las Vegas
#2 Trade Show
Offering the largest selection of women’s and men’s apparel and accessories in the industry, the biannual fashion-industry trade show announced a strategic partnership with online B-2-B fashion marketplace FashionGo, ahead of its latest iteration in August. The partnership led to the launch of a new area, On:Line, which featured 30 emerging brands hand-selected by show executives to showcase samples of their collections. The latest show featured a performance by pop singer Jojo. This year, the show didn’t release attendance numbers, but last year brought 85,000 attendees to the Mandalay Bay and Las Vegas Convention Centers. Next: February 5-7, 2019

Chicago
#3 Trade Show
The 99th edition of the National Restaurant Association’s hospitality trade event was its largest ever, taking over 715,000 square feet and drawing 65,000 registrants to McCormick Place. New programming this year included the Restaurant Revenue Growth Conference at the Marriott Marquis, and the Chicago Stars Mixology Competition—a competition held in partnership with Choose Chicago and the Illinois Restaurant Association, featuring bartenders from 10 top Chicago venues. The event also had new show floor areas including the Water Cooler, a specific area for crowdsourced discussions and industry meetups, and the Balancing Act, an area that provided attendees with ideas and demos about wellness and personal health. Next: May 18-21, 2019

High Point, North Carolina
#4 Trade Show
Held every spring and fall, the largest furnishings industry trade show in the world has 11.5 million square feet of showroom space, takes place across 180 buildings, and draws more than 75,000 people and more than 2,000 exhibitors to each edition. Additionally the show brings in an economic impact of $5.4 billion. Ten percent of attendees are international, and more than 100 countries are represented. Next: October 13-17, 2018

Atlanta
#5 Trade Show
Held at AmericasMart Live, the latest edition of the semiannual event was headlined by Martha Stewart, Bethenny Frankel, and Trisha Yearwood. AmericasMart was the new venue for the show’s Icon Honors, which featured a keynote presentation by Arianna Huffington. New to the trade show was Shop the Show, a curated shopping experience led by lifestyle influencers, and the Museum Collective, a curated merchandise collection produced under a new partnership between the venue and the Museum Store Association. The event drew 90,323 attendees in January and 85,104 attendees in July. Next: January 8-15, 2019

Las Vegas
#6 Trade Show (Up from #8)
Showcasing automotive specialty products, the 2017 edition of the trade show had 2,400 exhibiting companies and 162,000 attendees. Notably, last year’s show featured the new presence of Advanced Driver Assistance System products. From lane departure warnings to automatic braking systems, show exhibitors continue to embrace what is currently valued as a $1 billion industry. Next: October 30-November 2, 2018

Las Vegas/Orlando
#7 Trade Show
For the second year, the co-location of the National Association of Home Builders International Builders’ Show and National Kitchen & Bath Association's Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (K.B.I.S.) returned to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, drawing more than 85,000 attendees. With more than 2,000 exhibitors and one million square feet of exhibit space, the trade show continues to grow—in 2018, the event also saw 16 supporting organizations representing dealers, designers, contractors, and manufacturers. The show will return to Las Vegas next year. Next: February 19-21, 2019

Columbus, Ohio
#8 Trade Show
Named after Arnold Schwarzenegger, the multi-sport event celebrated its 30th anniversary this year with a record attendance of 200,000 people, who watched 22,000 athletes compete in 80 sports and events. Dr. Robert Goldman, who founded the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, received in the Lifetime Achievement Award. Next: February 28-March 3, 2019

Anaheim
#9 Trade Show (up from #11)
The National Association of Music Merchants show is the country’s largest event for the music products industry, and this year the event drew 115,085 attendees to the Anaheim Convention Center. The 2018 event saw an expansion of 200,000 square feet of trade show floor space, as well as a new educational center in the Anaheim Hilton. New educational partners included the Audio Engineering System and the Entertainment Services Technology Association. The event garnered 1.3 billion impressions on social media. Next: January 24-27, 2019

Houston
#10 Trade Show
The 50th edition of the NRG Park-based event drew 61,300 attendees, down slightly from the previous year. The event, which draws offshore energy industry experts from across the globe, focused on subjects including the current state of the industry, reducing costs and improving overall value, and breakthrough technologies in a low-oil price environment. It had more than 2,300 exhibiting companies representing 44 countries, and the exhibition covered more than 585,000 square feet. Next: May 6-9, 2019

New York
#11 Trade Show
This year, the largest gathering of book trade professionals held its inaugural “Introduce an Indie” scholarship—a program designed in collaboration with the American Booksellers Association and nine regional bookseller associations to bring up-and-coming booksellers to the trade show, which was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. Organized by Reed Exhibitions, the show drew 7,732 attendees and 473 exhibitors. Next year, the event will be co-located with the New York Rights Fair. Next: May 29-June 2, 2019

Las Vegas
#12 Trade Show
Created by the International Council of Shopping Centers, the world’s largest gathering of retail real estate professionals draws 37,000 industry professionals and 1,200 exhibitors to the Las Vegas Convention Center. New programming this year included Innovation Exchange, a two-day exposition focused on how technology is changing the retail experience. Retailers exhibited products and services, and attendees could experience hands-on access to the latest product offerings, attend live demos, and learn from technology leadership at demonstrations and speaker sessions. Next: May 19-22, 2019