Boston and More: A Very Busy Corridor

From metropolitan areas, where winter storms adorn historic landmarks and bustling businesses with layers of snow, to large, idyllic expanses of preserved land areas, the Northeastern United States is a region where both small and big companies thrive. Thus, it is no surprise that this region's tradeshow popularity remains continually high, with New York City and Boston leading the way, and even larger shows to come.

Tradeshow Week Assistant Editor Joalien Johnson examines the steady flow of tradeshow activity in the Northeastern U.S.

• The Northeast region as a whole is expected to greet close to 9.5 million attendees and approximately 220,513 exhibiting companies on nearly 68.4 million net square feet of space at tradeshows this year. Last year it brought 8.3 million attendees and 217,223 exhibiting companies to 55.7 million net sq. ft. of space. The total number of shows has risen from 600 to 636 since last year.
• In terms of market share, the nine-state region accounts for 11 percent of the nation's exhibit space, with 14 percent of exhibiting companies and 12 percent of all the country's 2007 show attendees.
• The average booth size will be 310 sq. ft.
• The average tradeshow held in the Northeast will cover 117,274 net sq. ft., feature 419 companies and welcome 8,294 attendees. Last year's average showfloor was 84,888 net sq. ft. with 403 exhibiting companies and 7,357 attendees.
• The average consumer show will feature 104,534 net sq. ft., 269 exhibiting companies and 34,996 attendees. Square footage and attendee averages have dropped slightly since last year, when there was an average 126,435 net sq. ft. and 35,103 attendees. The average number of exhibiting companies has risen slightly, from 247 to 269.
• The average consumer tradeshow is projected to cover 136,858 net sq. ft. with 78,614 attendees and 217 exhibiting companies. Last year, the average show occupied 88,947 net sq. ft. and welcomed 264 exhibitors and 12,964 attendees.

Medical and health care is the leading sector for events in the Northeastern region with 70 shows, overtaking last year's leader, home furnishings and interior design, which comes in second with 57 shows. Apparel is a distant third with 38 shows.

Osborne/Jenks Productions will produce the highest number of exhibitions this year with 16. Coming in a close second is George Little Management, the producer with the most shows last year — 15.

The convention centers and exhibit halls hosting the highest number of this region's 2007 shows are the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York, with 80 shows; the Atlantic City (N.J.) Convention Center, with 30; and the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, 26. All three venues were ranked near the top of the charts last year as well.

The first quarter of the year saw almost half of all tradeshows scheduled in the Northeast this year (48 percent). March led the way, as it did in 2006, with a total of 105 shows, followed by January and February with 90 and 83 shows, respectively. The third quarter, during the summer and into the fall, features the lowest number of shows (16 percent). The second and fourth quarters are tied with 19 percent of all shows on the books.

The region remains a popular one for hosting tradeshows. On average, the number of shows, professional attendance, square footage and number of exhibiting firms have increased slightly. Industry sectors and companies that ranked at the top of most categories last year have undergone slight changes and are still contenders for the No. 1 spot, but do not necessarily hold the same ranks. By most measures — for example, the number of shows per month and the square footage — statistics remain consistent.