Las Vegas Claims 12 TSW Fastest 50 Winners

Rachel Wimberly -- Tradeshow Week, 9/25/2008 5:47:00 PM

Las Vegas was a lucky place for more than just some of the crowds hitting the casinos this past year – it also hosted, by far, the most Tradeshow Week Fastest 50 winning shows, with 12 finding success in Sin City.

Michelle Finn, vice president of Nielsen Business Media’s Hospitality Design Group, oversees the Hospitality Design Exposition & Conference, which was held at the Las Vegas Sands MegaCenter in 2007. “(We’ve had) a double-digit growth rate year over year,” Finn said. The smartest decision show management made, she added, was “picking Las Vegas as a venue.”

The Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference’s growth was hampered by a lack of space, said Brian Pagel, vice president of Nielsen Business Media’s Kitchen and Bath Group. But, Pagel added, what made a difference was “taking the show to Las Vegas in 2005. We tapped into the West Coast market and grew drastically.” In 2007, the show was held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and this year, it was held at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

“Las Vegas is proud to be the No. 1 tradeshow destination, and we work hard to maintain that status,” said Jeremy Handel, Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority public relations manager. “With the opportunities, amenities and hotel rooms, … attendance always seems to grown when shows come here.”

The 12 Las Vegas-based winners held their shows not only in the LVCC and Sands Megacenter, but also in another big convention center in town, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.

All the shows will be honored at the annual TSW Fastest 50 weekend Nov. 7-9 in Baltimore. Managers of the 50 shows have been invited to a series of receptions, dinners, a conference and a black-tie gala Nov. 8, during which the overall fastest-growing trade, association and consumer shows will be honored.

For more information, a list of the winners and to register for this year’s TSW Fastest 50, go to www.tswfastest50.com.