28.09.2014 Views

2012 Gold Rush - Trade Show Executive

2012 Gold Rush - Trade Show Executive

2012 Gold Rush - Trade Show Executive

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

<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

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!