CHICAGO — The trade show industry had a strong first quarter of 2023, with all shows held in the first quarter taking place in person and exhibitors, total attendance and trade show attendance growing by nearly double digits, according to the Trade Show Executive (TSE) dashboard.
The data, which will be published in full in the June 2023 issue of TSE magazine, also shows that of the 72 shows held, 60 shows grew in net square feet (nsf), 45 saw double-digit growth in that metric, and 60 shows also increased their total attendance.
Overall, the dashboard recorded that Q1 shows totaled 17,221,374 NSFs, 46,388 exhibitors and 1,517,627 attendees. Shows held in Q1 saw increases of 9.9% in exhibitors, 7.3% in exhibit space and 9.5% in total attendance, after adjusting for outliers and shows with no two-year comparisons. The growth in exhibit space and exhibitor numbers is comparable to that seen in Q1 2022.
Related. CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 was the largest edition of the show in history
Leading the Q1 scorecard in terms of the number of shows held were the consumer goods and retail sector with 13 shows, the medical and healthcare sector with 12 shows, and the building, construction, home and repair sector with 10 shows. Notably, CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023, which is held every three years and was the largest edition of the show to date, was the largest show of the first quarter, covering an impressive 2,834,835 square feet.
“The Q1 dashboard confirms that the trade show industry is back in business, and back in style,” said Gabrielle Weiss, TSE vice president and editor-in-chief. “We’re about to host our TSE Fastest 50 Awards & Summit, where we’ll honor the fastest-growing shows of 2022, and these honorees have broken TSE records for their astounding growth rates. According to TSE research, 2023 is shaping up to be an equally impressive year.”
Check out the full dashboard in the June issue of TSE Magazine. Subscribe to receive your copy today at https://tsx.magserv.com/cgi-bin/subscribe.
To submit show data for inclusion in the TSE Quarterly Analysis, use this link: https://tradeshowexecutive.com/dashboardentryform/
Contact Gabrielle Weiss at (312) 493-7753 or gweiss@tradeshowexecutive.com