Issue link: https://tradeshowexecutive.epubxp.com/i/84572
TSE DASHBOARD SPONSORED BY Net SF Growth Steals the Spotlight in August; Other Metrics Flat BY DARLENE GUDEA, president; CAROL ANDREWS, editor-at-large, and HIL ANDERSON, senior editor Oceanside, CA – Exhibitors set up "larger shops" at U.S. trade shows in August than they did the year before, translat- ing to a welcome 2.3% bump upward in net square feet (nsf) of exhibit space. However, the exhibitor count for August trade shows was flat at 0.8% compared to the previous August, and the crowd of potential customers roaming the aisles was down slightly by (1.1)%. Te results were based on data provided by show managements for the Trade Show Executive (TSE) Dashboard of Monthly Trade Show Metrics. Te August analysis included 17 exhibitions and excluded only one show in the growth calculations, the Interna- tional Woodworking Fair (IWF), because it is a biennial event. Only annual shows are counted in the growth percentages. Te adjusted total for exhibit space in August came in at 3,778,631 net square feet. Te number of exhibitors was 15,036 and attendance totaled 306,057. Te aver- age show spanned 236,164 nsf, featured 940 exhibiting companies and drew 19,129 attendees. Nine shows with a show floor of 100,000 nsf or greater were held in August. Six shows were large enough to make the TSE Gold 100 rankings of largest trade shows in the U.S. Five of the shows reported increases or no changes in all three Dashboard metrics; however, four others experien- ced declines in all three categories. Growth Leaders In a month that saw a lot of red ink, the August edition of the semi-annual MAGIC brand was the largest show featured in the Dashboard with 950,860 nsf. Tat was a 9.0% increase over last August, a memorable show that was large enough to be ranked No. 6 on the newest TSE Gold 100. Te exhibitor count jumped 10.8% from 3,892 in 2011 to 4,312, and attendance was up 5.6%. Is MAGIC on the road to outgrowing even Las Vegas? Probably not, but even speculation on such a radical idea illus- trates the momentum the retail fashion trade show continues to enjoy. Advanstar Communications has not been relying on the economic recovery and looser corporate marketing budgets to grow MAGIC. Tom Florio, CEO of Advan- star Fashion Group, and his team have been expanding the scope of the show, making it more horizontal and more appealing to international exhibitors. Recent show innovations include FN Massive MAGIC. Advanstar's MAGIC continued its growth spurt with a 9% increase in exhibit space. At more than 950,000 nsf, the Las Vegas fashion event appears on track to crack 1 million net square feet in the near future. 20 October 2012 | Trade Show Executive Platform, which put a new emphasis on the footwear sector. Registration was up 30% this August as the U.S. shoe market remained firm. Sourcing at MAGIC drew a solid international contingent to Las Vegas plus high-ranking speakers from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Continued on page 22