December Trade Shows Reflected Upward Mobility BY DARLENE GUDEA, president; CAROL ANDREWS, editor-at-large, and HIL ANDERSON, senior editor

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1 TSE DASHBOARD December Trade Shows Reflected Upward Mobility BY DARLENE GUDEA, president; CAROL ANDREWS, editor-at-large, and HIL ANDERSON, senior editor Oceanside, CA The month of December wrapped up a year in which predictions of a frustratingly slow economic recovery were right on the money. In any slowdown, attendee participation generally reflects the most vulnerability, and December held true to form, eking out only a 0.9% growth in attendance for the month of December. Exhibitor growth and net square footage bucked economic trends and jumped 3.3% and 3.1% respectively, reflecting a position of strength and offering a glimmer of hope that trade shows would continue on that path in Q4 was disappointing, with lackluster growth in all three metrics. Net square feet was the growth leader at 2.1% but that was nothing to write home about. Exhibitor growth disappointed with a 0.9% increase, and attendance growth came in at a sluggish 1.3%. Full-year performance was so so. Net square footage rose 2.4%, exhibitor growth was a weak 1., and attendance outshined both with a 2.9% growth. What does 2013 have in store for the trade show industry? TSE s Exposition Forecasting Board has some interesting insights [see pages 30 February 2013 Trade Show Executive 25 to 29]. And 150 shows managed to rise above the fray, growing at least seven times the average. Trade Show Executive and more than 20 sponsors will honor this elite group 50 in each metric at the Fastest 50 Awards & Summit at the Swissôtel in Chicago May A Closer Look at December There were 13 trade shows included in TSE s December Dashboard, only three of which were 100,000 nsf or larger. Just two shows POWER-GEN International and the International WorkBoat Show were large enough to be on the TSE Gold 100 rankings of largest U.S. trade shows. One show, The Running Event in Austin, TX made the TSE Fastest 50; however, its dizzying 88% reported increase in exhibit space was too rich to be included in the adjusted totals for the Dashboard. The adjusted totals for December (which excludes shows without 2011 metrics) reflected 1,092,154 nsf of exhibit space plus 4,780 exhibitors and 104,957 attendees. That worked out to 91,013 nsf per show. Exhibitors averaged 398 per show and attendance averaged 8,746. Humming Along. Business was brisk at POWER-GEN International where attendance and exhibitor count were both up 6%. Exhibit space also grew nearly 4% to 382,300 nsf. Generating Crowds The largest show surveyed for the Dashboard was POWER-GEN International, which enjoyed a 3.9% increase in exhibit space to 382,300 nsf. Attendance in Orlando took a 6.1% jump to a record 21,570 and the number of exhibitors grew 6. to 1,327. PennWell Corp. has grown POWER- GEN into a show that encompasses all aspects of electricity generation. The show is actually four co-located events. Along with POWER-GEN proper, the agenda included Renewable Energy World North America Conference & Expo, NUCLEAR POWER International and the Financial Forum, a specialized networking and educational event for corporate level project developer and financial types. We are extremely pleased with the success of POWER-GEN International and the co-located events, said Richard Baker, senior vice president of the PennWell Power Group. The momentum seen by these four events underscores the importance of such a platform to the industry. It also reaffirms the growth in the power generation sector. PennWell has also parlayed the synergy between its trade show and industry publication Power Engineering into an enticing draw for advertisers. Regular advertisers in Power Engineering received a $4 per square foot discount on booth space for 2013; however, exhibitors were encouraged to book quickly since the rates went up in mid January. Growth Leaders The Running Event. More exhibitors and larger booths ran up the totals for the sporting goods show held in Austin, TX. Formula4Media said many of the exhibitors booked more space for the introduction of the latest in shoes, attire and other products for serious runners. Exhibit space reached 94,000 nsf, a whopping 88% jump from the 50,000 nsf in Exhibitors increased by 18% to 295 and attendance grew 25.1% Continued on page 32

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3 TSE DASHBOARD Continued from page 30 to 2,126. Show managers said The Running Event has been gaining stature overseas after being primarily a U.S. show. The evidence was in the special appearances made by eight international stars on the running scene. American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting is one of the premier science meetings in the U.S. The show did not disappoint, growing its exhibit space 17. to 42,840 nsf and its exhibitor roster 17.2% to 272. Attendance moved up 4.4% to 24,221. The AGU counted 94 new exhibitors and also hosted a briefing on NASA s Mars rover project that was open to the public. International WorkBoat Show set records in all three metrics. Exhibit space at the Gold 100 event in New Orleans popped 9.6% higher to 218,395 nsf while exhibitors grew 6. to 924 and attendance increased 5.8% to 14,788. Diversified Business Communications said the consistently high quality of the attendees over the years has been a positive draw for exhibitors. National Athletic Directors Conference & Exhibit Show enjoyed a 23. gain in attendance to 2,100. The conference portion of the event included plenty of material on the timely topic of athletic concussions and head injuries. That may have driven attendance, but exhibitors were in San Antonio to court the majority of attendees who arrived with purchasing power authorized by their school districts. The number of exhibitors grew 10. to 210. Exhibit space was unchanged from 2011 at 60,000 nsf. Expo! Expo! The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) takes advantage of the light industry calendar in December to hold its education, networking and exhibition extravaganza in the form of Expo! Expo! The annual meeting and trade show for the trade show industry was Trade Show Executive Dashboard Snapshot DECEMBER TRADE SHOW METRICS MONTHLY OVERVIEW: NET SQUARE FEET 2010 JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 1 MONTHLY OVERVIEW: EXHIBITORS 2010 JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN 1 3.1% JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC MONTHLY OVERVIEW: ATTENDEES 2010 JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 0.9% p Strong Close. Exhibit space perked up 3.1% in December, continuing the overall upward momentum seen since September. t Good Sign? (top).the number of exhibitors attending shows was a welcome 3.3% higher than the previous December. Monthly growth seemed to gain momentum in the Fall as companies looked to t Same Crowd (bottom). Attendance growth in December was a minimal 0.9%. The month has been relatively fl at in terms of growth for the past three years. JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 2013, Trade Show Executive Magazine, Oceanside, CA 32 February 2013 Trade Show Executive

4 JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 11 unfortunately down in all three metrics. Unaudited attendance figures, in fact, showed the crowd was down (10.6)% at 2,208. Exhibit space dipped (2.7)% to 36,600 nsf and exhibitor count declined (4.1)% to 255. The socializing and networking events were their usual smashing successes, and IAEE for the first time partnered with Convention News Television and bxb Online to provide ample online coverage of the proceedings to members who could not make it to Orlando. This was my first Expo! Expo! as IAEE president and I could not be more pleased with the feedback I received, said David OCT NOV JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC DEC 3.3% DuBois, who assumed the office in. We have a busy year ahead of us as we pursue results-driven strategies to continue engaging our members and growing our educational offerings. The next Expo! Expo! takes place December at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. More than 7 of the available exhibit space was expected to be sold in the online space draw February 12-13, IAEE said. Leading Venues Expo! Expo! was one of three Dashboard shows held in Orlando in December. Along with POWER-GEN International and the 24th Annual National Forum on Quality Improvement in Healthcare, Orlando hosted 436,100 nsf of exhibit space. New Orleans was in second place with the International WorkBoat Show and its 218,395 nsf. Atlanta placed third with the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and its 116,515 nsf. Next Month The New Year began in its usual big way with the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The CES enjoys a high profile and is often considered a leading indicator for trade show growth for the upcoming year. The TSE Dashboard next month will provide the results for CES as well as The International Builders Show, The NAMM Show, SHOT Show and Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. TSE Fast Crowd. A lot more people were in the aisles at The Running Event. The Austin show reported a 2 increase in attendance and a whopping 88% jump in exhibit space. 1 CONSOLIDATED QUARTERLY OVERVIEW 2010 Q1 Q2 Q1 Q2 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q3 Q4 Q3 Q4 NSF Exhibitors Attendees 1 CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL OVERVIEW Exhibitors Attendees NSF t Adding On? (left).the fi nal quarter of saw the number of exhibitors remaining fairly fl at but exhibit space and attendance were both on the increase. t Respectable Growth (right). took the trade show industry on the same moderate growth path as Of the three metrics, attendance growth was in the lead. Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q Q February

5 Trade Show Executive Dashboard DECEMBER TRADE SHOW METRICS BY CAROL ANDREWS, editor-at-large TOP MGMTS* PennWell Corporation Diversifi ed Business Communications J. Spargo & Associates, Inc. TOP CITIES* Orlando New Orleans Atlanta *Based on total nsf GROWTH LEADERS The Running Event American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting Intl. WorkBoat Show TOP INDUSTRY SECTORS* Industrial/ Heavy Machinery Commercial Marine Sports BENCHMARKS: AVERAGE GROWTH NSF: 3.1% Exhibitors: 3.3% Attendance: 0.9% December Show Site Net SF of Exhibits Exhibitors Total Attendance Qualitative Data SHOW INFORMATION /2011 /2011 VARIANCE /2011 VARIANCE /2011 VARIANCE VS American Geophysical San Francisco 42, % 24, % There were 94 new exhibiting Union Fall Meeting San Francisco 36, ,193 companies and 58 intl. exhibitors. American Geophysical Union A public lecture by scientists working on NASA s Mars rover, an exploration station with more than 20 hands-on activities and a children s book reading took place at the event. American Society of Atlanta 116, % 242 No change 20,578 (5.9)% Product Theaters were introduced at Hematology Annual Meeting San Diego 110, ,869 the event. There were seven J. Spargo & Associates, Inc presentations in the theaters, and show management deemed it a solid debut for this new exhibit hall feature. Baseball Trade Show Nashville 35,100 (0.7)% 256 (2.3)% 3,750 (6.3)% Overall sponsorship dollars were up. Minor League Baseball Dallas 35, ,000 This includes sponsorships for the Baseball Winter Meetings, Baseball Trade Show and PBEO Job Fair events. Sponsorship sales for the show were the highest to date. Expo! Expo! IAEE s Annual Orlando 36,600 (2.7)% 255 (4.1)% 1,975 est. (10.6)% Number of education opportunities Meeting & Exhibition Las Vegas 37, ,208 (pre- more than doubled from 2011 show. International Association of audited There were 409 fi rst-time attendees, Exhibitions & Events fi gures) and 109 exhibiting companies had exhibited 10 years or more. 24 countries outside of the U.S. were represented. The number of downloads of the Expo! Expo! mobile app exceeded 1,600. Holiday Showcase Chicago 23,424 (1.3)% 356 (4.0)% 2,419 (2.8)% There was a 5. increase in total Association Forum Chicago 23, ,488 planner attendance compared to of Chicagoland 2011 attendance. New this year were mini-bootcamps, three dedicated meeting hubs to interact and conduct business, improved technology including an enhanced mobile app, activities for fi rst-time attendees, and a new tradition of holiday happy hour at the event s conclusion. International Council of Las Vegas 38,000 No change % 1,375 (11.3)% The show changed to a Monday Air Shows Convention Las Vegas 38, ,550 through Thursday schedule, and no Intl. Council of Air Shows educational sessions, meetings or events were scheduled while the exhibit hall was open. A new feature was a performer safety debrief directed specifi cally at discussing and understanding recent safety issues and risk mitigation techniques for air show performers. 34 February 2013 Trade Show Executive

6 Trade Show Executive Dashboard DECEMBER TRADE SHOW METRICS December Show Site Net SF of Exhibits Exhibitors Total Attendance Qualitative Data SHOW INFORMATION /2011 /2011 VARIANCE /2011 VARIANCE /2011 VARIANCE VS Intl. WorkBoat Show New Orleans 218, % , % The show exceeded all benchmarks, Diversifi ed Business Comm. New Orleans 199, ,979 with record-breaking numbers in all three metrics of growth. More exhibitors and attendees were attracted by a history of high-quality attendance and an attractive market. National Athletic Directors San Antonio 60,000 No change , This was the largest event for athletic Conference & Exhibit Show Indianapolis 60, ,700 administrators in the U.S., and the Natl. Federation of State High majority of attendees had purchasing School Associations (NFHS)/ authority for their departments. Several Natl. Interscholastic Athletic events were held in the exhibit hall Administrators Assoc. (NIAAA) to drive traffi c and about 30 athletic directors received awards. 24th Annual National Forum Orlando 17,200 (5.4)% 149 (4.5)% 5,624 (0.5)% The show attracted a broad range on Quality Improvement Orlando 18, ,653 of attendees devoted to improving in Health Care quality and safety in health care. The Institute for Healthcare show included quality improvement Improvement fi eld trips and new for : virtual site visits with health care organizations and medical facilities. NGWA Ground Water Expo Las Vegas 70, % 309 (4.9)% 4, % Supplier attendees increased 12%, National Ground Water Assoc. Las Vegas 69, ,267 followed by scientists and engineers, or who were up 4% over 2011 numbers. groundwaterexpo.com Water well system contractors increased nearly 2%, and manufacturer attendees were up 1%. NWMA Annual Meeting, 51,480 (17.6)% % 2,200+ (21.4)% Convention sessions emphasized Exposition & Short Reno, NV 62, ,800 mineral deposits, exploration and Courses Spokane development, operations, business Northwest Mining Association and fi nance, environmental technology and regulation, and policy and legislative affairs. POWER-GEN International Orlando 382, % 1, , % Exhibitors represented every sector PennWell Corporation Las Vegas 368,100 1,252 20,326 of the power generation industry. Attendees came from 92 countries, and there were 27 international delegations. The event included 39 conference sessions and 12 tracks. The Running Event Austin 94, , % Exhibitors and sponsors included Formula4Media, LLC Austin 50, ,700 major running footwear and apparel brands, and many exhibitors increased the size of their booths this year. For the fi rst time, there were competitions for Newcomer Product of the Year and Product of the Year, and eight international running stars attended, more than ever before. DASHBOARD ANALYSIS: Net SF of Exhibits Exhibitors Total Attendance Total 1,186,154 5, ,083 (Sum of all fi gures submitted by show management) 1,108,919 4, ,733 Adjusted Total 1,092,154 4, ,957 (Excludes outliers and shows in which an 1,058,919 4, ,033 apples-to-apples comparison is not possible) Averages 91, ,746 (Based on Adjusted Totals) 88, ,669 Percentage of Growth 3.1% 3.3% 0.9% (Based on Adjusted Totals) COMING UP NEXT MONTH: A review of shows held in January 2013, Trade Show Executive Magazine, Oceanside, CA (760) February