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TSE DASHBOARD Continued from page 26 First Quarter of 2012 Ends on Up Note Another new year for the exhibition industry has begun on the right foot. The First Quar- ter of 2012 ended with all three metrics on the upswing and with more overall momen- tum than was seen when Q1 2011 closed out, according to the TSE Dashboard. "Overall, trade shows are continuing to fare well, riding good momentum coming out of the end of 2011 and early 2012," said Chris Brown, executive vice president of conventions and business operations for the National Association of Broadcasters and a member of Trade Show Executive's Exposi- tion Forecasting Board. The economy's momentum is still seen as trying to shift into a higher gear, but at the end of the most recent quarter, the Dashboard indicators are all pointing in the right direction: FIRST QUARTER 2012 NET SQ. FT. 3.0% EXHIBITORS 1.8% ATTENDEES 4.1% } Exhibit space for the first three months of 2012 improved 3.0% compared to 3.2% in Q1 of 2011. } Exhibitors were up 1.8% in Q1 2012 compared to 2.2% in 2011 } Attendance grew 4.1% in Q1 2012 compared to 3.7% last year. "The figures are a marked improvement over Q1 2010 when attendance was up slightly and exhibit space and exhibitors were in the red," noted Carol Andrews, TSE's editor-at-large and director of the Dashboard. For the entire 2011 year, exhibit space was up 1.6% over 2010; exhibitor count was up 2.2% and attendance improved 1.9%. Registration data points to continued im- provement in the metrics well into Summer, said Pat Fallon, vice president of business development for CompuSystems, Inc. and a member of TSE's Exposition Forecasting Board. "Corporate profitability remains suf- ficiently strong to help stimulate and support trade show investment," he said. 28 May 2012 | Trade Show Executive show's co-owner, Trade Press Media, said a heſty contingent of 176 new exhibitors boosted the total number of exhibitors to 475 and contributed to a 17.8% jump in ex- hibit space to 68,450 nsf. "We couldn't be more pleased," he said. "Attendance was huge and the networking that took place appeared extremely fruitful." } World of Asphalt & AGG1. Te paving industry hit the road for Charlotte in sig- nificantly larger numbers this year with the number of exhibitors growing 25.1% to 259 and exhibit space soaring 33.5% to 82,722 nsf. Because the show is a biennial event, it was not included in the Dashboard adjusted totals. While still relatively small, World of Asphalt and the co-located AGG1 Aggre- gates Forum & Expo are organized by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and have established a firm base within that industry sector. More than 20 industry organizations were on the list of official supporters and enjoyed a high level of input into the education portion of the event. "Tese are industry-driven events where participants have a say in the planning so the shows will best meet their needs," said AEM Show Director Melissa Magestro. "Tey can feel these are truly their shows." } Natural Products Expo West. New Hope Media said its show in Anaheim was the largest on record. Exhibit space increased 4.6% to 369,375 nsf and the crowd and exhibitor counts also showed nice growth. Te number of exhibitors was pegged at 2,226, which was 8.4% higher than at the 2011 show. "Te number of new exhibitors and product launches demon- strates the strength of our industry and the confidence in the level of growth of natural and organic products," said Show Director Adam Andersen. } International Home + Housewares Show. All eyes are on the consumer goods sec- tor to help lead the U.S. economy past the recession, and the International Home + Housewares Show at McCormick Place did not disappoint. Attendance was up 1.6% to 62,000 and the exhibit hall was sold out with 2,132 exhibitors and 760,000 nsf of floor space, a 4.8% increase over 2011. Tis year included an extension of the show dates to four, which Phil Brandi, president of the International House- wares Association, said allowed more time for interaction between buyers and sellers. "Our research showed there were SPONSORED BY Paving the Way. Sharp increases in exhibit space and attendance at World of Asphalt and AGG1 helped fuel growth in the overall Dashboard metrics. AEM enlisted 20 industry associations to assist with the planning.