VEGAS INC Magazine - Latest Las Vegas business news, features and commentaries about gaming, tourism, real estate and more
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VEGAS INC BY THE NUMBERS 1 19 53 47 Las Vegas' ranking as a national convention destination, according to a leading trade show database. Number of consecutive years Las Vegas has earned the No. 1 ranking. UNDER CONSTRUCTION: An excavator removes earth for the construction of a subway line station adjacent to the Javits Convention Center in New York. The Javits Center is in the midst of a four-year renovation that will add 80,000 square feet of exhibit space with a new extension called "Javits Center North." and restaurants. San Francisco International Airport is a key West Coast international gateway, is home to Virgin America Airlines and serves as a hub for United Airlines. The airport is 14 miles from the convention center. ••• New Orleans If any rival convention city understands the concept of work-by-day, play-by-night, it's New Orleans. The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is just off the Mississippi River and within walking dis- | 1 3 M AY 2 0 1 3 20130513_VI01_F.indd 21 | Number of Top 250 trade shows the valley's two closest competitors, Orlando and Chicago, hosted combined. 1.86 MILLION SQUARE FEET Size of the country's largest trade show, the Consumer Electronics Show, which took place in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center. San Diego Geographically, San Diego is Las Vegas' closest convention rival. But by size, the two are far apart. With 615,700 square feet of exhibit space, the San Diego Convention Center, located near San Diego's Gaslamp District on Coronado Bay, is the 24th largest meetings facility in the country. It is four miles from San Diego International Airport, which has direct flights to several western U.S. cities and a handful of international destinations. Representatives of the San Diego Convention Center Corp. said about 800,000 people attended 180 events at the center last year. The biggest draw was Comic-Con International, the largest comic book convention in the country. It brought in 126,000 people. ••• Number of conventions Las Vegas hosted that made the "Top 250 U.S. Shows List," which ranks trade shows by size. Source: TradeShow News Network UNDER THE SUN: Meeting planners in Orlando, Fla., like Las Vegas, try to market the city as a destination for both business and pleasure. Here, Orlando's 30-year-old Orange County Convention Center is shown. tance of the French Quarter. It has 20,000 hotel rooms nearby. Last year, the convention center hosted 128 events that 825,791 people attended. The biggest shows include the International Workboat Show, Essence Festival, International Jewelry Fair and General Merchandise Show. The convention center also is a prime destination for Mardi Gras balls and parties. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is 14 miles away. But once conventioneers arrive at the center, most of the city's attractions are only a short walk away. The convention center also received a major renovation in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina. ••• New York The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York calls itself the "Marketplace for the World." Indeed, the center, New York City's major convention facility, has worldclass access with three major interna- tional airports less than an hour's drive away. Javits also is a 20-minute walk from Penn Station and the New York Port Authority. Located on the west side of Manhattan, the center is in the midst of a four-year renovation that will add 80,000 square feet of exhibit space to a new extension called "Javits Center North." It will include loading docks, an outdoor plaza and the largest "green" roof in the Northeast. Last year, the Javits Center attracted 3 million people. Its largest shows include the International Fancy Food and Confection Show, International Vision Expo, New York Now (formerly known as the New York International Gift Fair), American International Toy Fair and National Retail Federation's annual convention. 21 5/9/13 2:11:52 PM