Trade Show News Network (TSNN) is pleased to announce the release of the 2017 TSNN Top Trade Shows list in the United States.

Culled from show management and data supplied to TSNN, the list represents the top trade shows held last year in the U.S. ranked by net square footage.

The full, searchable list, sponsored exclusively by Expocad and the Orlando/Orange County Convention Center, can be found HERE.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017 show snagged the No. 1 spot and spanned more than 2.67 million net square feet at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

In addition, there were 2,375 exhibitors and more than 128,000 attendees (including exhibitors) at the event that was held March 7-11 last year.

“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized and is a tribute to AEM’s members and the support of our industries that make this show the gathering place every three years,” said Sara Truesdale Mooney, show director for CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017 and AEM vice president of strategy and business development.

She added, “Our new immersive Tech Experience amplified the technology in the exhibits and was just one example that underscored our team’s commitment to deliver an unparalleled show experience and content to inspire and inform attendees about what’s next.”

Coming in at the No. 2 spot on the list was the Consumer Technology Association’s CES, which was No. 1 in 2016.

The January show spanned 2.6 million net sq. ft., also at the Las Vegas Convention Center and other venues in the city, and drew more than 182,000 attendees, including exhibitor personnel.

"It is an honor to be recognized by Trade Show News Network for the success of CES 2017, the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, CES and corporate business strategy.

She added, “CES 2017 was a platform for innovations across every industry and drew global business leaders from 158 countries. Each and every year, we strive to provide the highest quality show experience for our exhibitors and attendees, and this ranking from TSNN reflects that promise.”

Once again, the city with the most shows on the 2017 TSNN Top Trade Shows list was Las Vegas, with 47.

“Las Vegas has long been considered a top destination for business travel and 2017 proved to be another astounding year,” said Rossi Ralenkotter, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

He added, “Last year, a record-breaking 6.6 million people traveled to the destination for business and with a number of high-profile projects like the Las Vegas Convention Center District in the works, in addition to new meeting and convention space being added across the destination, Las Vegas is well-positioned to continue the momentum for decades to come. It’s an incredible honor to top TSNN’s coveted ‘Top Trade Shows in the United States’ list for the 24^th consecutive year and we look forward to welcoming more shows to Las Vegas in the future.”

Orlando scored the second most number of shows on the list, with 24, followed by Chicago, with 21, and Atlanta, with 20.

The rest of the top 10 city rankings included New York, with 13 shows; Indianapolis, with 10 shows; San Diego, with 9 shows; Boston and New Orleans, with 8 each; and closing out the top cities with Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., with 7 each.  

Last year, Emerald Expositions was the show management company with the most shows on the list, by far, with 30. This year, all of their shows were pulled from the list by request of the company when it was publicly listed.

In 2017, Informa and UBM tied with 14 shows each on the list. For the 2018 list, this duo might just be on top as a single company under Informa, pending a shareholder vote in April.

“We’re proud of the performance of Informa’s US exhibitions during 2017. We entered the year having just on-boarded Penton’s trade show group, and the integration has gone quite smoothly,” said Informa Exhibitions’ CEO Charlie McCurdy.

He added, “I believe the healthy performance of the overall US portfolio reflects the market-defining nature of our leading events, the quality of our show teams, and the health of the underlying markets they serve. And, we’re looking forward to an eventful 2018!”

Scott Schulman, CEO, UBM Americas, said, "We are honored to have 14 of our UBM Americas events included on the TSNN Top Trade Show List. These events are driven by our commitment to producing events that deliver strong customer experience, connect industry leaders and help businesses grow.”

He added, “It’s exciting to see that our events in a wide variety of industries were recognized including advanced manufacturing, fashion, licensing, the cruise industry and pharmaceuticals. We’re proud to be a big part of an industry that plays such an important role in driving global commerce, and we congratulate the many other great events on the list.”

Other companies with multiple shows on the list included SmithBucklin and Spargo, with 12 each; AmericasMart Atlanta, with 10; Reed Exhibitions USA, with 10; and PennWell, with 6.

The 2017 TSNN Top Trade Show list can be found HERE.

The list on TSNN.com includes show name, link to show’s Web site, show dates and description, number of attendees, exhibitors, net square footage, show location and venue.

For a fuller list, please contact John Rice, jrice@tsnn.com.