Las Vegas kicked off 2022 with multiple successful in-person events, once again proving the city’s designation as the number-one trade show destination in the U.S., and the importance of industry to the economy.

The world’s most influential technology trade show, CES 2022 returned “home” to Las Vegas in January, welcoming over 2,300 exhibitors at 11 indoor and outdoor venues. It was truly a global event, with over 30 percent of attendees traveling from outside the U.S.

“The CES show floor buzzed with the joy of human interaction and a five-sense innovation experience with products that will redefine our future and change our world for the better,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ that owns and produces CES.

The same enthusiasm was shared by the organizers of World of Concrete that welcomed over 40,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors to the Las Vegas Convention Center Jan. 18-20.

“It’s great to be here in person. There’s nothing that beats that face-to-face connection and we’re so excited that we were able to do that with our community and be able to bring our buyers and sellers together,” commented Lauren Lamb, vice president of Strategy, Marketing, and Conference at Informa Markets that owns WOC. “Las Vegas provides a full experience for all our attendees and our exhibitors to come and have a great time in addition to maximizing their ROI.”

Many exhibitors were not only excited to be back together in person but also enjoyed experiencing the 1.4 million square foot expansion of the LVCC facilities. “I love the West Hall,” said Kim Bain, marketing and communications manager at Caterpillar Inc. “We’re all very excited to move here. It’s more spacious and open.”

She was also impressed with the venue’s health safety measures.

The Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) that also took place on Jan.18-21 had the largest exhibit floor in its history, taking over The Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum. Chris Dolnack, NSSF Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer noted: “This is a very tactile business, and it means a lot to buyers to be able to see and handle our industry’s products in person. We couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome of this SHOT Show.”

At OFFPRICE, the largest U.S. trade show dedicated to discount fashion that took place on Feb.13-16 at Venetian Expo, retailers came to source available in-stock inventory. Stressing the importance of this year’s show, Douglas Emslie, CEO of Tarsus Group that owns OFFPRICE, commented: “Given the disruption that supply chains have experienced over the past two years, shows like this are more critical than ever, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. Our customers appreciate the opportunity to close business in a safe and secure environment.”

Since in-person meetings and conventions returned to the destination in June 2021, Las Vegas hosted an estimated 2.2 million convention attendees, showcasing confidence by trade show organizers that events can be held safely and successfully.