Show attendance down, but quality of leads up – a mixed blessing in Las Vegas

Written by Helen Holzer

LAS VEGAS – As the numbers are trickling in from all sectors, overall convention attendance in Las Vegas is dropping, like a rock. The 42nd annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) ran Jan. 8-11 at several venues in Las Vegas. Attendance in 2008 was pegged at 140,000, but this year that figure dropped to 110,000, marking a 21 percent decline. At times, the show floor was nearly empty. Worse yet, prime CES show floor exhibit space was also left empty, as key exhibitors dropped out in this sagging economy. At least 10 percent of last year's exhibitors failed to show up in 2009. And if trade shows are indeed a true reflection of the economy, then the consumer industry that's been hit perhaps harder than any other – home building – took another hit at the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Show/NextBuild. Attendance was down a whopping 29 percent at the Jan. 20-23 show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Leaving the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando after four years, hopes were high for an upturn in numbers by moving the NAHB show to its new venue in Las Vegas. Attendees numbered 91,000 last year, but only reached about 65,000 in 2009. The 29 percent drop reflects the dismal house sale figures that have only recently started to rebound in some parts of the country. Exhibitors at the show also dropped about 10 percent, with a similar reflection in the show's net square footage. What's the exhibitor response to the numbers? At both shows, booth personnel were upbeat about the quality of attendees and getting the right people to attend. Those who came were serious buyers in serious times. One official at NAHB said, "Exhibitors are telling us that these are the people they need to see." Adding, "It's a testament to the power of face-to-face marketing." Another January show that schedules at the same time as CES to draw in its crowds also saw a decline in attendees and exhibitors. This year's annual AVN Adult Entertainment Expo Jan. 9-11 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center is the largest event for the adult entertainment industry worldwide. Last year's attendance numbered 12,000 sex industry workers, 17,000 fans and 1,300 members of the media. But this year, only 250 exhibitors showed up, down 18 percent, according to expo spokesman Sean Devlin. So even though "sex sells," it doesn't sell as much as it used to.