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TSE DASHBOARD Continued from page 24 significantly higher airfare and hotel ex- penses in its first stab at a venue outside the U.S. Te result was a (51.2)% drop in attendance and (51.5)% decline in exhibit space. Te APA meeting saw its exhibitor participation jump up 56.6% aſter mov- ing to Philadelphia from Honolulu. Gold 100 Glitter Te eight Gold 100 shows that took place in May generally reported some growth as the economic recovery held up in the face of high oil prices and European Juicy Booths (top). Attendees sample some liquid sunshine as they tour the exhibit hall at the NRA Restaurant, Hotel- Motel Show in Chicago. Exhibit space grew 5.3% to nearly 543,000 nsf. Popular Stop (bottom). Desserts dispensed from a food truck parked inside McCormick Place proved to be a popular draw for attendees at the NRA Show. The crowd sampling the many tasty new products was 6.4% larger than 2011. financial tumult. y RECon – Te number of exhibitors in- creased 10.0%, which helped push exhibit space up 4.2% to 740,000 nsf. Te new Marketplace Mall feature grouped vari- ous suppliers together and gave attendees a chance to look over vendors of such retail vitals as signage, shopping carts and social-media solutions geared toward marketing to retail customers. Another new pavilion called Cities of the World was home to exhibits from commu- nities looking to attract new development. Te pavilion was located in the section of the floor devoted to the signing of leases. y 67th Annual National Hardware Show – Total attendance dropped (7.0)% but that was offset by 4.8% more exhibitors and a 2.6% increase in exhibit space to 560,000 nsf. Reed Exhibitions introduced some new exhibitor groupings and said its pro- fessional attendance actually increased. "We could not be more pleased with how the show went," said Rich Russo, event director. "We listen to what our attendees tell us and strive to make the show bigger and better each year. Based on the feed- back we have received from attendees and exhibitors, we believe we hit a home run." We listen to what our attendees tell us and strive to make the [National Hardware] Show bigger and better each year. Based on the feedback we have received from attendees and exhibitors, we believe we hit a home run. Rich Russo, EVENT DIRECTOR y National Restaurant Association (NRA) Restaurant, Hotel, Motel Show – Te 93rd edition of the annual Chicago show saw its exhibit space grow 5.3% to 542,720 nsf and attendance increase a solid 6.4%. Te NRA said its redesigned exhibit hall was sold out and welcomed 500 new exhibi- tors who helped bump up the exhibitor count by 1.0%. Te show also generated a huge supply of surplus food, which translated to a donation that amounted to 42,000 meals for Chicago's needy. "Te generosity of our exhibiting companies this year was amazing, as the number of meals donated this year exceeded the number of meals donated last year by nearly 5,000," said Convention Chairman Jack Crawford. y Lightfair International – AMC, Inc. said it set a record for professional attendance over the course of Lightfair's five-day run as well as a record for floor space, which grew 2.0% to 206,800 nsf. Te 505 exhibi- tors marked a 6.5% increase over 2011. 26 July 2012 | Trade Show Executive SPONSORED BY