Another wave of conventions prepares to hit Las Vegas
If you thought having CES in town earlier this month was a big deal, wait until you see the conventions coming in this week.
Five staples on the Las Vegas convention calendar will be among the trade shows here through the week at different venues bringing at least the same number of visitors as CES.
Between Tuesday and Saturday, the city will host the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show, a hunting and outdoors event; the World of Concrete, a construction industry show; the International Surface Event, a flooring exposition; AVN, a gathering for the adult film industry; and the Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show. Between them, they’re expected to bring more than 178,000 people.
“It’s a great way to start the year,” Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority spokesman Jeremy Handel said.
For Las Vegas, it isn’t unusual to see so many high-profile shows in January and, for that matter, the entire first quarter.
“CES has started a trend of being the first show of the year so that exhibitors can present a look at what’s coming out for the rest of the year,” Handel said.
“Other groups are pretty much doing the same thing, and it makes a lot of sense because it’s the start of a new business cycle and, compared to much of the rest of the country, the weather here is pretty good.”
UNUSUAL SCHEDULING
A difference this year is that because the days and dates of the calendar don’t fall the same way every year, show organizers have to jockey for dates and space. CES arrived earlier than usual this year and even ran over a weekend, something show producers and the hotel industry don’t particularly like but did because of scheduling.
Despite the unusual scheduling, CES and LVCVA officials believe at least the same number of people who attended in 2016 — about 177,000 — were in Las Vegas for CES 2017 producing a nongaming economic impact of at least $154 million.
That resulted in next week’s shows, which usually arrive in January, cramming into a single week.
The two largest events on the calendar this week are the SHOT Show, which will drive 64,000 shooting and outdoor recreation vendors and retailers to the Sands Expo and Convention Center, and the World of Concrete, a construction show that will host 60,000 people at the Las Vegas Convention Center, both Tuesday through Friday.
SHOT SHOW
The SHOT Show, the Sands Expo and Convention Center’s largest event by exhibit space at 630,000 square feet, or 13 acres — the area covered by the New Orleans Superdome — is owned and operated by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry. It’s a trade show open to industry professionals, but not the general public.
Because it’s a gun show, it’s subject to protests and criticism, but association leaders in the past have always viewed the event as an opportunity to air the industry’s views. One year, the show caught flak from the Transportation Security Administration at McCarran International Airport when one of the show vendors passed out acrylic-encased souvenir bullets, which backed up lines when delegates returning to their homes tried to take them through TSA screenings.
Because of the volume of guns and ammo, the SHOT Show, which will have more than 1,600 exhibitors and attendees from 50 states and 100 countries, is one of the heaviest shows at the Sands at 3,300 tons.
WORLD OF CONCRETE
World of Concrete organizers expect between 55,000 and 60,000 industry people to attend the expo this week.
There will be roughly 1,500 exhibitors this year showing off their latest products, including 225 that are making their first appearance at WOC, said Steven Pomerants, senior marketing manager.
Foreign visitors account for 12 percent to 15 percent of attendees, he said. There will be a new area this year for decorative concrete. In addition to training courses and lectures, there will also be an hour-long bricklaying competition, the winner of which takes home $100,000.
INTERNATIONAL SURFACE EVENT
The International Surface Event is what’s known in the industry as a co-located show — delegates attending it and World of Concrete go to both shows’ programs.
An estimated 25,000 people will attend the gathering Wednesday through Friday at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
The International Surface Event is a compilation of three trade shows serving the floorcovering, stone and tile industries and includes Surfaces, StonExpo-Marmomac and TileExpo events.
The annual program brings together buyers and sellers worldwide to see the industry’s newest products, experience hands-on demonstrations and meet with manufacturers and suppliers. There also are 56 educational sessions over the four days.
ADULT ENTERTAINMENT EXPO
A different type of trade show — the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo — is expected to draw 25,000 people to the Hard Rock Hotel on Wednesday through Saturday.
Unlike most trade shows, the public can buy tickets to attend because a big part of the event is meet-and-greet sessions with pornography film stars.
Show officials say more than 500 stars from the adult industry will entertain and participate in autograph sessions.
Tickets range from $80 for general admission to $1,500 for four-day all-access passes.
But the show isn’t just about ogling and fan fantasies — the association also provides speakers and panels to address issues within the porn industry.
Among the hot topics this year: what the Trump administration will mean to the industry.
Show officials say adult content producers have reason to be wary of how a Republican-led Justice Department might affect their bottom line. “Attorneys and business people who remember the bad old days of (former attorneys general Edwin) Meese and (John) Ashcroft will provide historical perspective,” the description of one session says.
The industry has been at the cutting edge of technology to deliver its products to consumers and a session is scheduled on what porn will look like in 2020 with changes and advancements in technology, legislation and culture.
SPORTS LICENSING & TAILGATE
The pipsqueak of the week’s five shows is the annual Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show, which will run Tuesday through Thursday at the south hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. An estimated 4,000 people are expected to attend.
More than 380 exhibitors from several sports leagues and collegiate teams plan to attend the show and display apparel, accessories, toys and souvenirs.
The LVCVA’s Handel said having multiple large shows in town presents a different challenge than having one megashow.
“For CES, the entire campus was in use, but everything was managed by one producer,” he said. “When you have multiple shows, it stretches our resources.”
WHAT’S AHEAD
That will be true in March, a month that traditionally attracts multiple shows at the same time. Handel said it’s the Convention Center’s own version of March Madness.
“There’s a lot of coordination that occurs between contractors because of the set-up and tear-down of each show,” Handel said.
A typical show takes at least three or four days of onsite preparation, with removal taking about half that time.
This March will be more complicated than usual because the Convention Center will host ConExpo-Con/Agg, a construction industry show that occurs every three years. This year’s event will run March 7-11 and is expected to draw 129,000 people.
One of the highlights of ConExpo is the display of scores of construction cranes that resemble a metal forest from afar.
This year, the newly minted Diamond Parking Lot, the area where the Riviera once stood, will be an outdoor exhibition space for the show.
“That space is about 26 acres and because it’s right near the Strip, it should be quite an attraction,” Handel said. “It’ll be like a giant Tonka toy display.”
Other March shows include the Western Veterinary Conference March 5-9, bringing 14,500 people to Mandalay Bay; ASD Las Vegas, a retail show March 19-22 with 46,000 at the Convention Center; and the Nightclub and Bar Show March 28-29 with 39,000 at the Convention Center. That show often co-locates with the International Pizza Expo, which will bring 12,000 people to the Convention Center March 28-30.
Keeping with the first quarter and spring being the busiest time for conventions in Las Vegas, several other big shows are on the immediate horizon.
The Las Vegas Winter Market, a furniture exhibition, is scheduled Jan. 22-26 at downtown’s World Market Center with attendance expected at 50,000. It’s one of two shows that occurs there.
Another first of two shows is the Men’s Apparel Guild of California MAGIC Marketplace Spring Show, a fashion exhibition Feb. 21-23 at the Convention Center. An estimated 85,000 are expected to attend.
The National Association of Broadcasters rolls into town April 24-27 with 103,000 people at the Convention Center. Because NAB always occurs around Easter, show dates are flexible for the annual show.
RECon, a major real estate trade show, is scheduled May 22-24 with 37,000 attendees forecast at the Convention Center.
LVCVA officials say it’s too early to predict whether 2017 will break the record of 6.3 million in convention attendance set last year.
The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson. Las Vegas Sands Corp. owns the Sands Expo and Convention Center.
Review-Journal writer Todd Prince contributed to this report. Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.
SHOWS THIS WEEK
Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show
When: Jan. 17-20
Where: Sands Expo and Convention Center
Attendance: 64,500
World of Concrete
When: Jan. 17-20
Where: Las Vegas Convention Center
Attendance: 60,000
International Surface Event
When: Jan. 18-20
Where: Mandalay Bay Convention Center
Attendance: 25,000
Adult Entertainment Expo
When: Jan. 18-21
Where: Hard Rock Hotel-Casino
Attendance: 25,000
Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show
When: Jan. 17-19
Where: Las Vegas Convention Center
Attendance: 4,000
