Las Vegas Trade Show Guide: All You Need To Know - Aplus Expo

Las Vegas Trade Show Guide: All You Need To Know

Note: All dates are subject to change in light of COVID-19

Las Vegas is a world-famous city that is known for its sprawling gambling casinos, a major attraction for foreigners who flock to the desert city from all over the world to come to experience the wild nightlife. But there is one other thing that the city is well known for, hosting trade shows. According to statistics, the city has played host to over 19,700 trade fairs and exhibitions between 2001 and 2017. That is an average of over 1200 trade shows in a single year; a busy timeline by any standards.

This is a detailed guide to the Las Vegas trade show scene created for people who may be looking to attend one in the near future. We will explore the reasons why people exhibit in Las Vegas, the best venues for holding trade fairs and exhibitions, the hotel facilities, and the things you have to pay attention to when planning to participate in one.

Reasons to Exhibit in Vegas

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There are reasons why Vegas is considered the capital of trade shows the world over, it is ot only in one of the most powerful countries in the world, but it is located in an area with great access and state of the art infrastructure. The following are the reasons why you should consider exhibiting in Las Vegas.

  • Vegas has a history of hosting successful trade shows dating back to half a century ago. This places it as the most suitable place to have an extensive exhibition.
  • The city is filled with hotels that can accommodate any number of visitors at any time of the year. There are more than 150,000 hotel rooms scattered all over the city, ready to host hordes of trade fair attendees.
  • The city is served by an international airport that receives direct flights from all over the world. This means that visitors come directly from their country without having to connect flights.
  • The weather is sunny and predictable. Vegas is built on a desert, and it is easy to know what kind of weather you will face when going there. This makes planning trade show events much more accessible.
  • It generates a very strong attendance. It is not simply the visitors who flock to these conventions and trade fairs. The locals are also big fans of these events, and they usually fill them up within days.
  • There are many entertainment spots that can keep visitors busy when they are not taking part in the trade fairs. This makes a trip there both a business and a sightseeing one. Killing two birds with one stone.

Exhibit Services in Las Vegas

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Las Vegas does more than just hosting trade fairs. The logistics that go into preparing one are gargantuan and without the resources, a city may find itself unable to handle such high-level events. The following are trade shows services that one can find in Las Vegas.

Convention Venues

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Las Vegas is home to hundreds of convention venues with huge saves capable of hosting international-level events for days on end. Some of the notable ones that have been used in the recent past and continue to be used to this day include the following.

Las Vegas Convention Center: This is a 4.6 million square facility, one of the largest and the busiest in the world. There are 150,000 guest rooms located within a short distance of the convention center. It has enough space to handle thousands of visitors at a time without straining.

Mandalay Bay Exposition Center: Mandalay Bay Exposition Center was opened in 2003 and has come to establish itself among the top trade show venues in the city. It sits on an area of 2.1 million square meters of space with impressive options of hotels, transportation, and other amenities nearby.

Sands Expo and Convention Center: This is another impressive facility that sits on 1.8million square meters of land near the Venetian House. It has played host to a number of international trade exhibitions over the years, establishing itself among the top 5 venues in Las Vegas. It can host up to 2700 people at capacity.

Trade Show Services

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Once people jet in for a convention, they will need to set up their booths and all, and since carrying these things along may be too much work and costly. Their best options are to rent everything they will need to set up. Some of these services include the following.

Booth Sale & Rental: There are countless companies that offer booth sales and rental services for exhibitors at fair prices. Most usually go with renting since most of the events never last beyond a week, so it makes more sense to use a booth temporarily as it is cheaper than an outright purchase.

Trade Show Furniture: Event/trade show furniture used for sitting and the shelves used for propping up the products can also be hired for temporary use through the many companies that offer this service at a fee.

Booth Installation and Dismantling: There are special companies that don’t just rent or sell out the booths, but they have a full team of people who handle the installation on your behalf; all you need to do is show up with your products, and you are set.

Storage and Shipping: If you have heavy loads that need to be shipped to the vague, don’t fret. You can get everything done for you at a fee. Moving companies will transport all your items in one piece to the venue and back, providing security in the process.

Hotel Services

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The one area where Las Vegas excels is the availability of hotels that can accommodate any number of people no matter how many trade fairs are being held at the same time. There are over 150,000 hotel rooms in the entire city, which can handle any number of visitors any time of the year without ever hitting capacity. Another redeeming factor is the fact that they are all within a stone’s throw from the convention centers. Participants don’t have to travel for too long to access their booths. There are a good number of quality hotels that you can lodge with for as long as you want.

Transport Services

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Sometimes attendees will need to be ferried to the venue from their hotel rooms. There are many ways that this can be done in a seamless way that doesn’t inconvenience them. SSome hotels have transportation packages that take the attendees from the rooms straight to the venue. There is also the option of using dedicated transport companies that are contracted by the trade show organizers to transport all visitors for the sake of safety. All this works perfectly, and it all comes down to personal preferences and the budget.

How to Attend a Trade Show in Las Vegas

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Whether you are attending the trade show as a participant or a regular attendee, the chance to attend a trade convention in Las Vegas is huge. It is also very easy for one to be distracted by all the glitz and glamor that the city holds. So how do you attend a trade show in Las Vegas the right way? The following are some pointers to help get it right the first time.

As a regular attendee, you have to first make a decision on the exhibition you want to attend because Las Vegas is always hosting a number of exhibitions on any given day without fail. Narrowing down on the ones you want to check out will save you money and time.

If you are a participant, make sure you have a budget for everything, including emergencies. Rent booths that are right for your products and do it well in advance so that you can set up your stall early.

You have to promote your booth through advertisements. This is something that you start doing in advance even before landing in Las Vegas. Make use of your social media pages to ensure the information reaches a wider audience.

Once the trade show begins, you have to actively engage with attendees. Dont be too overbearing in your approach, as that will make people avoid the booth. You can use clever games to attract attention and create some curiosity about what your business is all about.

You have to highlight your strengths in the most eye-catching fashion that you can come up with. Most trade shows never go beyond two days. This means that you will be on a limited time frame to impress people and achieve the goals you set out when starting out.

Once you have established connections with people and gotten their contacts, ensure that you get in touch as soon as possible to keep that interest alive. You will be going up against other competitors thinking along the same lines. The one who reaches out to the customer first wins.

Things to Consider When Attending a Trade Show in Las Vegas

For a trade show to be successful in a high-profile place like Las Vegas, there are certain things that you have to pay attention to. These factors are varied, and they each affect your booth in the following ways.

The Budget

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You have to be prepared financially for a trade show, or else it would end up in disaster. You have to factor in the accommodation, the transport, rentals and any other thing that may pop up. The cost rises exponentially if you have a team with you, as they will be your responsibility all through your stay in Las Vegas. Choosing to go with games for the attendees will cost you some extra money. The cost of running custom booths at a high-profile place like that is very high, and this is the reason why some trade shows only happen once a year.

Booth Selection

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The exhibition booth you choose to go to can either make or break your efforts. Depending on the type of product and services that you are dealing with, you have to select a booth that fits their needs well. This way, you will be able to know how to plan the outlay, where each display will be set up, and so on. Once you have the plan laid out, getting people to come over becomes much easier compared to going in with disorganization.

A Qualified Team

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You cannot handle everything on your own. You need a team with you that will handle other functions as you deal with attendees. Most times, participants usually fly in with their teams, with each member assigned a specific job that they are best suited for. When everyone is able to handle their end perfectly, the entire event becomes a success. A disjointed team is a very bad look, and people will notice that and avoid your booth entirely. Selecting the right team should be done even before plans for flying to Vegas are finalized. Simulations have to be run many times to get the right working formula.

Location

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Getting the right location is equally important. You want a strategic place where there’s heavy human traffic rather than a corner in the back where no one will be able to see you and your products. The booth setup will also be influenced by the location you end up being given. This is why it is essential to book the slots as early as possible and pay for them in advance to reserve the best locations. Being late for the party will be very bad for your presentations. You will be left with the worst possible locations.

Timing

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When dealing with a trade fair that lasts a day or two, then you have to be there for the two days without fail. However, there are some types of trade shows that take up to a week, and displaying your booth every day can be a little costly and tiresome. You have to figure out the best days that have the most people to get the best impact. The first and the last days are the best; you just have to find a day in between that will also boost the chances of your booth setting sales and new customers in the process. It takes experience to figure this out.

Know your Competitors

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You will most likely be placed in the same section as your direct competitor, in this can be a little scary if you are a newbie. Owing to the huge number of attendees that flock to the conventions in Las Vegas, you can rest easy that you will at least score some numbers in the process. But that should not make you complacent. Be aware of what your competitor is doing and up your game on the go to counter their tactics. Healthy competition at a trade fair is good for your brushes and for your personal growth.

Ready the Demos

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Contrary to common misconception, attending a trade show is not all about standing at your booth ushering people in, and showing them the displayed items. It is much deeper than that. You have to display your knowledge properly by conducting demos on how the product you are selling work and how they impact the lives of those that use them. This is how you build interest and increase human traffic to your booth. These demos can be done through live practicals, or you can prepare a presentation that can be shown on a screen.

Be Physically Prepared

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Las Vegas is where the big boys come to play. When you have a booth in a convention center that can hold 2,700 people, you are assured of having to deal with curious and potential clients every minute. This means you will be forced to stand for hours and move about as you answer questions. You have to be physically prepared for all this, or else you could collapse. Ensure that you eat and hydrate plan before the day and carry with you some snacks to replenish your energy. This is where having a team comes in handy, as you can take turns standing in for each other until the end of the day.

Consider Furniture

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Trade show furniture serves many functions. It provides resting areas for you and your staff, and at the same time, it is a clever way of inviting people to come over to your booth. If you have some space to spare, add some resting chairs for the attendees, even when they are not interested in what you are offering. It is small acts like this that usually lead to conversations that end up creating curiosity in them, ending up in a sale, or the forging of a mutually beneficial partnership.

Carry Graphic Materials

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The fastest way to communicate with people is through graphics materials. Sometimes the numbers of people may be overwhelming, and if you are understaffed, you could find yourself losing focus as you try to handle everyone at once. But when you have brochures, flyers, business cards, it becomes easier for people to know what you are all about without saying a word. Make sure you create enough to give out for free, and they have to be colorful and refined to leave an impression big enough for them to reach out later on.

Conclusion

Las Vegas is the capital of trade shows, and anyone serious about trade and commerce has to make plans to attend a trade convention there at least once in their lives. It may be intimidating for a first-timer, but it doesn’t take much to get used to the high-energy interaction that usually happens there. If you have been planning to attack part in a trade show but have no clue where to begin, check out our website and find all the resources you need to turn that dream into a reality.

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