The outlook for trade shows is better than it has been since 2000, according to a report from the Center for Exhibition Industry Research released earlier this month.
Some of the fastest-growing segments are ones where Anaheim already has a footing, according to the report.
The center analyzed growth in 11 segments from 2000 to 2004 based on net square feet of trade show space, number of attendees, number of exhibitors and show revenue. The report was based on data submitted by 258 shows with at least 3,000 square feet of exhibit space.
“The big news was the return to pre-2000 levels on an overall basis,” said Doug Ducate, chief executive of the Chicago-based center.
Half of the events looked at were held at convention centers, compared to just 38% in 2001, Ducate said.
The Anaheim Convention Center has its share of big conventions and has seen growth since its sixth expansion was done in 2000. Last year, Anaheim hosted 1.2 million convention delegates, up about 9% from a year earlier.
But the technology bust and fallout of the 2001 terrorist attacks caused some trade shows to go the way of the dinosaurs.
“We had to rely on the traditional shows in recent years,” said Charles Ahlers, president of the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau.
Now conventions are growing again and Anaheim is hoping to grab more shows.
“We’re looking to put the convention center to higher and better use,” Ahlers said.
Being able to book more simultaneous conventions would be a plus, he said.
According to the center’s study, nine segments grew in recent years. Technology and agriculture and raw materials lagged.
“Technology has not yet reached a high water mark,” said Darlene Gudea, publisher of Trade Show Executive magazine, a sponsor of the center’s study.
Medical, construction, food and entertainment events are growing, Gudea said.
Other segments cited in the report: industrial, up 19% in 2004; sports, travel and entertainment, up 5.5%; and government and nonprofits (including associations), up 11%.
Anaheim had as many as 18 manufacturing shows in 1999. But those dropped to six in 2005. One of them is the massive Medical Design & Manufacturing show, which combines five shows and brings more than 40,000 people to Anaheim.
Association meetings, which represent about 75% of Anaheim’s overall convention business, appear to be growing again.
“We’ve seen more housing activity for the room blocks and are often going out looking for more rooms,” Ahlers said.
Anaheim also has a footing in the food sector, with the Sysco Food Show bringing about 11,000 to town this year. The food show segment grew 12% from 2003 to 2004, according to the report.
Medical and healthcare groups have been a staple for Anaheim, with nurses, doctors, dentists and other associations holding meetings in the city. But the need for meeting rooms for breakout sessions could hamper the city’s efforts to lure more healthcare confabs.
Plans are in the works to convert some exhibit space to meeting rooms at the Anaheim Convention Center. That depends on approval of a business improvement district by businesses around the center.
Anaheim’s selling points include a central location and the size of the convention center,at 1.6 million square feet, it’s the largest on the West Coast.
Then, of course, there’s the Disneyland Resort right next store.
The region’s airports provide easy access for visitors. And Anaheim is in driving range of some 21 million people.
The city also has more than 8,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the convention center.
The convention center has something else: the Anaheim Arena, an auditorium that opened in 1967 with a Doors concert and one of the last remnants of the city’s once dominant Space Age architecture.
“For entertainment functions and product launches, I think the arena is what sets us apart,” Ahlers said.
In the past few years, the arena has undergone an interior overhaul. An external makeover is pending.
As of last month, Anaheim had almost 400 convention groups confirmed for 2006 and beyond. More than a dozen groups forced to move from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina are considering Anaheim, Ahlers said.
