CONVENTION CENTERS COMFORTABLE confines Smaller Convention Centers Can Make Your <strong>Show</strong> a “Big Fish” BY SANDI CAIN, news editor and CARRI JENSEN, manager of directories 54 November <strong>2012</strong> | <strong>Trade</strong> <strong>Show</strong> <strong>Executive</strong>
<strong>Trade</strong> <strong>Show</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> Exhibition Facility Snapshot Oceanside, CA – Anyone who has attended a trade show or conference in North America likely has a nodding acquaintance with the biggest facilities in North America. But they’re equally likely to have spent time in one of the 173 Tier IV convention centers in the region with prime exhibit space ranging from 50,000 square feet (sf) to 124,999 sf. That group represents 57% of the North American venues listed in the most recent edition of <strong>Trade</strong> <strong>Show</strong> <strong>Executive</strong>’s World’s Top Convention Centers (WTCC), published in June. Prime exhibit space at these 173 centers totals 13,828,089 sf. A total of 81% of that space is in the U.S. at 140 facilities. Mexico has 13% of the space in 22 facilities, while Canada claims 6% in 11 facilities. Convention centers that rank in the smaller-sized category are primarily in smaller cities or are on the outskirts of major metropolitan centers. Managers of such centers have a competitive advantage in attracting appropriately-sized events to their facilities. As noted in the <strong>2012</strong> WTCC, convention centers overall are trending toward an increase in flexible space, which typically converts some prime exhibit space into space for variable uses. Such moves may improve a center’s prospects for certain types of business, but reduces prime exhibit space, defined as space dedicated specifically for exhibits. As a result, a few centers previously listed with at least 50,000 sf of prime space have fallen beneath that threshold and are not included. The average square footage of prime exhibit space for North American facilities is 79,931 sf. The facilities that rank closest to that average size offer 80,000 sf of prime exhibit space. These include: Boca Raton Resort & Club in Boca Raton, FL; El Paso Convention & Performing Arts Centers in El Paso, TX; Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center in Fredericksburg, VA; Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA; South Pointe Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas; and Town & Country Resort & Convention Center in San Diego. Convention centers that rank in the smaller-sized category are primarily in smaller cities or are on the outskirts of major metropolitan centers. Managers of such centers have a competitive advantage in attracting appropriatelysized events to their facilities. “<strong>Show</strong> organizers are looking for the best value right now,” said Shura Garnett, regional vice president for Global Spectrum who also oversees the St. Charles Convention Center in St. Charles, MO. “Our competitive advantage (in St. Charles) is that we’re more affordable than downtown (St. Louis) due to more flexible work rules,” she said. Garnett said such flexibility is attractive to organizers across the board, but convention centers also need to take into account the needs of vendors, guests and the workforce in addition to client needs. Compact centers are thriving in other regions, too. Northeast of Atlanta, the Gwinnett Center in Duluth gets significant business from small to mid-sized state associations and consumer shows, according to Lisa Anders, executive director of the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau, which operates the Gwinnett Center. “We’re seeing a slow resurgence of corporate events,” Anders said. Among those are auto shows and corporate training events. Gwinnett Center expects more growth after a new 300-room connected headquarters hotel opens. It’s set to break ground next year. “That’s our missing piece of the pie,” she said. “We can compete on service, location and amenities but have had no attached hotel.” In New York, the Rochester Riverside Convention Center is among 18 centers on the list of smaller-sized venues with 50,000 sf of prime exhibit space. It has seen a resurgence of corporate business 13 % 6 % 81 % Convention Centers with less than 125,000 sf of Prime Exhibit Space There are 173 convention centers with prime exhibit space ranging from 50,000 sf to 124,999 sf in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Here is the breakdown: 140 in the U.S. or 81% 11 in Canada or 6% 22 in Mexico or 13% 4 % 57 % 13 % 26 % North American Facilities by Amount of Prime Exhibit Space Of the 305 convention centers in North America listed in the WTCC: 12, or 4% are in the Tier I Millionaires Club (1,000,000+ sf) 41, or 13% are Tier II Mega Facilities (350,000 sf – 999,999 sf) 79, or 26% are Tier III Mid-Sized Facilities (125,000 sf – 349,999 sf) The 173 Tier IV Smaller Facilities (50,000 sf – 124,999 sf) make up the highest percentage, 57%. © <strong>2012</strong>, <strong>Trade</strong> <strong>Show</strong> <strong>Executive</strong> Magazine, Oceanside, CA (760) 630-9105. www.<strong>Trade</strong><strong>Show</strong><strong>Executive</strong>.com | November <strong>2012</strong> 55
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