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Q1 Conventions Bring 470,000 Visitors, $400M in Spending

Some 470,000 people are set to descend on Anaheim this quarter, and not necessarily to go to Disneyland.

The first quarter is one of the busiest times for the Anaheim Convention Center and area hotels. About 17% of tradeshow attendees for the year are expected in January and February alone.

They’re expected to spend nearly $372 million during the two months.

Two big conventions are the drivers: NAMM, a show for musical instrument makers and sellers that starts this week, and the Medical Design and Manufacturing show at the end of the month.

The two draw more than 100,000 attendees.

In March, Natural Products Expo West, the Religious Education Congress and Optical Fiber Communication/OSA are set to bring another 87,000 people to town.

Natural Products Expo West is marking its 25th show in Anaheim. NAMM and Medical Design & Manufacturing have long-term contracts with the city.

“We started out in one ballroom and this year we’ll have 2,700 exhibitors,” said Brian Henderson, a spokesman for Natural Products show organizer Fresh Ideas Group in Boulder, Colo. Southern California is “one of the hotbeds of our industry,” he said.

This year, an ethnic food show is set to be part of the Natural Products convention.

Sports play a role too, with the Big West Conference basketball tournament and three cheerleading competitions adding about 55,000 people to the mix. Those events are held at the Anaheim Arena next to the convention center.

The busy first quarter follows a full November, which saw 70,000 attendees and roughly $55 million in spending. December, always a slow month, saw upkeep at the convention center, said Greg Smith, executive director of the conventions, sports and entertainment department for the city of Anaheim.

Last year, NAMM brought some 80,000 people to its weeklong event. Many attendees drive to Anaheim.

The same is true for the 40,000-attendee Medical Design and Manufacturing show (the second-largest in Anaheim).

“We’re talking with the traffic people and looking at the (show’s) schedules to better handle traffic,” Smith said.

Conventioneers sometimes are directed to park at the Disneyland Resort, Angel Stadium of Anaheim or Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim.


Logistical Feat

Getting ready for big shows such as NAMM is a logistical challenge with delivery of trade booths and equipment.

“Sometimes we have 300 trucks that need to unload,” Smith said.

The Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau helps with hotel reservations and other housing, sets up restaurant reservations and provides convention registration workers known as Red Coats.

NAMM and other big events take up all available space at the 1.6 million-square-foot convention center,and then some. Some exhibits and sessions are held at the Hilton Anaheim, Anaheim Marriott and others near the convention center.

The Carlsbad-based International Music Products Association puts on the show.

Medical Design and Manufacturing is five different shows held jointly.

“It covers the spectrum of the manufacturing process, so for some buyers it’s a one-stop shopping experience,” said Dan Cutrone, a spokesman for Canon Communications LLC, which runs the show.


Celebrity Guests

Canon coordinates the floor plan and works with Anaheim to arrange separate move-in times for exhibitors.

“It’s a daunting task,” he said.

NAMM’s proximity to Hollywood makes it a draw for entertainers, some of whom show up unannounced.

“Our challenge is that we don’t always know which celebrities will show up,” said Scott Robertson, a spokesman for the show.

Stevie Wonder showed up one year, Shaq another,with no notice.

This year, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is a speaker,and performer. His band is set to play at a reception.

Another group scheduled this year is the New York Police Department marching band.

“That’s a first for us,” Robertson said.

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