Nimlok Display Talk

Convention Centers Size Down, Boost Meeting Space

February 13, 2008 — 

The trend for convention centers in 2007 moved beyond the traditional, mega 4-walled space to that of facilities prepared for shows, educational sessions, and smaller group settings.  Additionally, construction of conference centers with a million square feet of space or more were nil, indicating that many projects are geared towards a more intimate setting for expo gatherings.

Oren Gamble presents much more data regarding EXPO’s 2007 annual facility review in his article, “Open for Business.”

5                      Number of new facilities
6                      Number of facilities completing expansions in 2008
8                      Number of facilities opening in 2008
11                     Number of renovated facilities in US only adding meeting space
40                     Number of facilities under construction, compared to 57 a year ago
46                     Percentage of meeting space in new facilities, as compared to 2006’s 37%
1,370,200          Number of square feet of exhibit and meeting space added through expansions

Read the entire article.