Several January Shows Break Records
By Rachelle Crum -- Tradeshow Week, 2/13/2006
Several Tradeshow Week 200 shows that took place in January broke their own records.
THE INTL. BUILDERS' SHOW/TecHOMExpo, No. 13 on the list, registered 105,263 attendees, surpassing last year's record of 104,922 attendees, according to owner and operator the Natl. Assn. of Home Builders.
The annual show took place Jan. 11–14 at Orlando's Orange County Convention Center, marking its second consecutive year in the venue.
"This is a real tribute to the building industry and Orlando," said Wayne Stetson, senior staff vice president of conventions and meetings for the NAHB.
The event, launched in 1944, also set an exhibitor record with more than 1,600 exhibitors spanning 1.5 million square feet.
The BUILDERS' SHOW will take place in Orlando through 2008, and then rotate between Las Vegas and Orlando through 2020.
In Chicago, the Jan. 23–25 Intl. Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo), No. 57 on the TSW 200, was the biggest yet in the show's 76-year history.
The annual event attracted 33,678 professional attendees to 1,980 exhibitors spanning a 410,615 sq. ft. showfloor, reported the show daily. That compares with 26,849 attendees, 1,871 exhibitors and a 372,955 net sq. ft. showfloor at the 2005 AHR Expo in Orlando, according to TSW research.
Clay Stevens, president of AHR Expo management firm Intl. Exposition, credited the growth to a "green" emphasis, endorsements from several new associations, a larger international presence, new education sessions and industry certification programs.
The 104th edition of The NAMM Show, No. 27 on the list, also was one for the record books.
The annual show at the Anaheim Convention Center experienced a 4-percent increase in overall registration for a record 81,315 registrants. It also broke its all-time record of exhibitors, with 1,462 companies.
The Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (No. 163) was held Jan. 11–13 at the Baltimore Convention Center. The show featured 972 exhibiting companies in 1,576 booths and set a new attendance record with more than 12,000 paid registrants.
The Jan. 17–20 World of Concrete was the largest edition of the show in its 32-year history. The show, No. 21 on the TSW 200, showcased 1,674 exhibitors occupying 801,419 net sq. ft. at Las Vegas' Sands Expo & Convention Center. The 2005 show at the Las Vegas Convention Center spanned 689,664 sq. ft. with 1,597 exhibitors.
And, of course, Intl. CES, No. 1 on the list, continued to expand and break its own records. The Jan. 5–8 show in Las Vegas spanned 1.7 million net sq. ft. (its largest), up from 1.5 million net sq. ft. in 2005. More than 150,000 attendees (another record) visited more than 2,500 exhibitors at the show, which began in 1967.
