Future of Vegas as convention capital looking brighter

A year ago, there was much consternation and hand-wringing over the future of trade shows and conventions in Las Vegas.

As other cities made gains, long-standing Vegas conventions started to look to other sites, and the region’s existing spaces appeared increasingly inadequate to handle growth. There were doubts that Las Vegas could hold onto its crown as the No. 1 trade show destination in the country.

Now, with fresh data showing strong growth and a significant step forward in a long-planned expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the outlook is brighter.

Through May of this year, more than 3 million people have visited Las Vegas for a meeting or convention, a 12% increase over the same period in 2015. The good news continued into June, when 466,000 visitors came for conventions, a 30% increase over June 2015, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). The rise in June included InfoComm, a communications show that alternates its convention between Orlando and Las Vegas each year, which set records for attendance, exhibitors and exhibit space.

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