Issue link: https://tradeshowexecutive.epubxp.com/i/107551
13% Tier II BY SANDI CAIN, News Editor The 79 mid-sized convention centers in North America have prime exhibit space ranging from 125,000 to 349,999 square feet and comprise 26% of the 305 total convention centers in the region, according to Trade Show Executive's Annual Report on Mid-Sized Convention Centers. The largest mid-sized center in North America is the Expo Bancomer Santa Fe in Mexico City with 348,750 square feet. In all, 69 of these facilities (87.3%) are in the U.S., fve are in Canada (6.3%) and fve are in Mexico (6.3%). Collectively, these convention centers bring the total square feet of prime exhibit space at mid-sized convention centers in North America to 16,092,989 square feet. Te largest mid-sized center in the U.S. is Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center in Portland, OR at 333,000 square feet. Te smallest of all the North American mid-sized facilities is Te Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco at 125,000 square feet. Positive Trends, Short Leashes Across the U.S., ofcials at mid-sized convention centers from Cincinnati, Chicago and Seattle said that overall business seems to be picking up, possibly in response to a more positive economic outlook. "National associations are booking further out and consumer shows are generating higher attendance and spending," said Ric Booth, general manager of Cincinnati's Duke Energy Center, which ranks No. 32 on this year's list of mid-sized centers. Tat facility garners a lot of national association business and stages about 20 consumer shows each year, Booth said. Michael McQuade, director of sales and marketing for the mid-sized Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, said the center, which ranks No. 17 among mid-sized centers this year with 236,700 square feet of prime exhibit space, has booked more corporate business this year and will host the most medical conventions it has seen since 2005. "Tings are good here," he said, with the city beneftting from a mix of national, state and regional business. Nevertheless, booking lead times remain short from coast to coast for midsized convention centers. "Shorter seems to be the term of the day," said Courtney Dyer, general manager of the Virginia Beach Convention Center, which ofers 150,000 square feet of prime space. Te city's mainstays are amateur sporting events and military events. Dyer said the military sector is booking in a "much shorter window" and that attendance numbers in that sector are down due in part to new restrictions on government participation in trade shows. Similar patterns are evident in Texas, where Charles Mayer, director of convention sales for the No. 11-rank-ed Fort Worth Convention Center, said short lead times mean that large groups that used to book three to fve years out now book two years out. Government groups are booking even closer to their events, Mayer said. "Tey're booking 90 to 120 days out — there's a lot of uncertainty," he said. Mayer said upticks in attendance for the center's core constituents of multilevel marketing group conventions likely will mean the facility still will post solid numbers for this year. In Long Beach, CA, short-term bookings are a boon for the No. 8-ranked Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, according to Ellen Schwartz, senior director of sales. "We have excellent shortterm bookings with many coming in the year for the year," she said. "Tat helps fll in gaps." Long Beach, which ofers 270,000 square feet of prime space, hosts events 4% Tier I 26% Tier III 57% Tier IV Of the 305 convention centers in North America listed in the WTCC: 12, or 4% are in the Tier I Millionaires Club (1,000,000+ sf) 41, or 13% are Tier II Mega Facilities (350,000 sf – 999,999 sf) 79, or 26% are Tier III Mid-Sized Facilities (125,000 sf – 349,999 sf) The 173 Tier IV Smaller Facilities (50,000 sf – 124,999 sf) make up the highest percentage, 57%. such as the Imprinted Sportswear Show, International Salon and Spa Expo and on the consumer side, the Progressive International Motorcycle Show and the Los Angeles Travel and Adventure Show. Government Squeeze Stringent fscal guidelines that may further restrict both the number of meetings and attendance at government and military-related events were mentioned as a concern by nearly every mid-sized convention center executive interviewed for this story. One group scheduled for a March convention in Fort Worth still didn't know its new guidelines in midJanuary, Mayer said. "Te government and military have been the bread and butter of our center," said Eric Blanc, director of sales, marketing and convention services at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, FL, which has 200,000 square feet of prime space. Blanc said one Department of Defense group canceled 45 days out when organizers were told to suspend nonessential travel and training. "With the recent www.TradeShowExecutive.com | February 2013 53