Las Vegas celebrates 25 years as top trade show destination

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Once again, Las Vegas maintains its long-standing reputation as the leading destination for business travel. For the 25th consecutive year, Las Vegas was named the country’s No. 1 trade show destination according to the Trade Show News Network (TSNN) “2018 TSNN Top Trade Shows” list. According to the list, Las Vegas hosted 48 of the largest shows held in the country last year.

“It’s an incredible honor to celebrate 25 years as the No. 1 trade show destination in North America, and for Las Vegas, this is just the beginning of great things to come,” said LVCVA CEO and President, Steve Hill. “Throughout the destination, we are seeing astonishing developments and investment you won’t find anywhere else and we look forward to continued growth and success with our partners and clients. The Las Vegas skyline is evolving rapidly — and there is certainly no limit in sight.”

The coveted list by TSNN represents the largest trade shows held in the country each year, ranked by net square footage. According to TSNN’s rankings, CES 2018 secured the top spot with nearly 2.8 million net sq. ft., of exhibit space spanning the Las Vegas Convention Center and several additional facilities throughout the destination.

Orlando and Chicago tied for second place on this year’s list, followed by Atlanta at No. 3 and New York at No. 4. To see the full TSNN list, visit http://www.tsnn.com/toplists-us.

"Once again, Las Vegas has topped the 2018 Top Trade Shows list with more than double the amount of shows represented than the next city on the list," said Rachel Wimberly, EVP of Business Development, Tarsus US (TSNN's parent company). "With so much new convention and meeting space, more hotel rooms and exciting entertainment and dining options coming online in Las Vegas, there's no doubt the city will be hard to beat in the near future."

The LVCVA is committed to maintaining the destination’s top spot on TSNN’s list. The Las Vegas Convention Center District (LVCCD) project is well underway, and is slated for completion at the end of 2020 in time for CES 2021. The project will add 600,000 square feet of exhibit space, new meeting rooms and other amenities, as well as renovating the entire existing property. Additionally, the LVCVA Board of Directors recently approved a recommendation to select Elon Musk’s The Boring Company to design, construct and operate a people mover for the Las Vegas Convention Center via a loop of underground express-route tunnels that could carry passengers in autonomous electric vehicles at high speeds. This LVCCD project will continue to cement Las Vegas as North America’s premier business destination, allowing shows to grow in both square footage and attendance.

In addition to the landmark LVCCD project, confidence in this industry sector is supported by billions of dollars in destination-wide investment, including the addition of more than three million square feet of exhibit space in the next five years.

In celebration of 25 years as North America’s leading trade show destination, here are 25 contributing factors leading to Las Vegas’ ongoing success as a business destination:

• Las Vegas welcomed 42.1 million visitors in 2018, of those, more than 6.5 million were business travelers.
• Nearly 24,000 meetings hosted annually.
• More than 11.5 million square feet of exhibit space.
• In the next five years, the destination will add more than three million square feet of additional meeting and exhibit space.
• Home to three of the country’s largest convention venues (Las Vegas Convention Center, Mandalay Bay Convention Center and Sands Expo and Convention Center).
• The meetings industry generates $9.8 billion in impact to local economy.
• Supports approximately 65,000 local jobs.
• Nearly 150,000 hotels rooms, offering a phenomenal group value proposition.
• The average daily room rate averaged $128 in 2018.
• On average, attendance increases by 8% when conventions rotate into Las Vegas.
• More than 950 daily inbound and outbound flights from more than 130 U.S. and international cities.
• McCarran International Airport is conveniently located just two miles from Las Vegas Boulevard and 3.5 miles from the Las Vegas Convention Center.
• Whether by bus, taxi, shuttle or monorail, accommodations are generally within a 15-minute ride from McCarran International Airport.
• Year-round appeal: Las Vegas averages 320 days of sunshine annually.
• Las Vegas trade show delegates spend more time on the show floor, averaging 11 hours.
• As a 24-hour destination, attendees have access to world-class dining, shopping and entertainment long after business wraps up for the day.
• Las Vegas is currently the only destination in North America with a World Trade Center designation on the campus of a convention center.
• Business travelers tend to stay longer and spend more while in the destination.
• Ranging in size from 10 to more than 150,000 attendees, Las Vegas can accommodate groups of varying sizes and budgets.
• The Las Vegas Convention Center alone hosts more than 50 events annually, welcoming nearly 1.5 million attendees.
• Supplemental registration staff is available through the LVCVA for events taking place in the destination.
• Among a series of studies with meeting planners, Las Vegas was among the top five meeting destinations overall, based on past visits and consideration.
• Las Vegas offers an extensive array of team building experiences, including outdoor and adventure activities, corporate social responsibility projects and behind-the-scenes interactions at some of the destination’s top entertainment venues.
• Many Las Vegas properties are incorporating new and unique health and wellness offerings catering to business travelers. Examples include, healthy dining options, guided meditation, state-of-the-art lighting and air purification systems.