The United States has always been known for being a great power and because they understand the trade not just as a way of doing business but as a way to promote the social stability, democracy and economic growth - and not only in America, we are speaking of a butterfly effect.
The trade shows sector plays an important role in the economic machinery of the country, these events are a source of business and networking both for national and international companies.
For over 100 years, the US fairs have been organized from what they called “agreements between trading partners” of each industry. This way, the main focus was never to sell, but to share experiences and meet potential customers.
Exhibiting in the US can surely be expensive, but no one ever gets disappointed with the experience. And remember, even if we get more benefits, we must really have a higher budget to exhibit in the US than in any fair held in Europe…
Some things you need to know to exhibit in USA
- They are very strict about the entry of goods to the fairgrounds, not allowing either the builder of the stand or the exhibitor to carry any material, is always necessary to contract the service of the logistics company of the event (see here what is dryage and how to reduce its cost).
- Most fairs are 100% professionals and is very unusual they are opened to general public, unless we are talking about consumer fairs.
- They often use stands with an open design, in contrast to most European countries, and they tend to focus less on the aesthetics of the stands, devoting all its resources to presentation of the products.
Main cities and their fairs
Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando and Chicago are undoubtedly some of the most powerful cities in the United States, specially in regard to fairs. The exhibitions and conventions held in these cities are recognized not only for its prestige but mainly for its huge income level.
CES, MAGIC or World of Concrete, for example, are held in Las Vegas and are some of the most important international events. In fact, CES Las Vegas, an exhibition dedicated to the technology sector, received more than 170,000 participants (over 50,000 of them were foreigners!) in its last edition.
Regarding Miami, we have to highlight the Swimshow fair, considered to be the international leading event for the swimwear industry, that attracts attendees from over 60 countries each edition. The Miami International Boat Show is also a huge event - it generates a large volume of income.
But there are so many other fairs worth a visit… for instance, AHR Expo, Conexpo, NRA Show or the SEMA Show are also very popular.
3D printing at CES Las Vegas
Where?
In addition to world-famous fairs, the United States has many popular venues: the Javits Center, for example, is the largest venue of New York, and hosts highly demanded events - like the Star Trek Convention! The Mandalay Bay Convention Center and Sands Expo, in Las Vegas, is quite prestigious and hosts many special fairs, like MAGIC (dedicated to the fashion industry) or the Global Gaming Expo.
And finally - even though there are many others - we highlight the Miami Beach Convention Center, the Orange County Convention (in Orlando) or the McCormick Place (in Chicago).