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