Chicago opened 2026 with a mix of large-scale tradeshows, fan events, and hospitality updates across the city and nearby suburbs. February brings major draws at McCormick Place and downtown hotels, led by automotive and dental meetings.
Orlando entered late January with steady convention activity and a growing pipeline of consumer, trade, and fan-focused events across the Orange County Convention Center and resort-area venues. Recent shows underscored the market’s draw for large-scale exhibitions, while ticket demand signaled strong consumer interest heading into spring.
Las Vegas entered February with a full tradeshow calendar, building on a strong start to 2026. Activity spans fashion, automotive, veterinary, petroleum, and franchise events across the Las Vegas Convention Center and Strip-area resorts.
If you are reading this column, chances are you’ve been involved with more than a few tradeshows. Whether that involvement’s direct, or indirect, how do you define a tradeshow?
The 10-by-10 booth is the historical building block of expo floors so the question is, how much technology can you squeeze into that space and how much will it increase engagement?
Toronto Pearson Airport
Airport Code: YYZ
Location: 6301 Silver Dart Drive, Mississauga, Ontario
As Montreal expanded its infrastructure for Expo 67 and the 1976 Summer Olympics, talk naturally followed to the construction of a convention center. In 1983
The workforce that has filled convention centers for decades is changing in size and composition. And that has significant implications for the event industry & billions being invested in convention infrastructure.
Another early morning at the airport, another customs line, another venue for another project. For those of us who live life in crates and fluorescent lights, this is just Tuesday. This might sound exhausting to an outsider, but to us, stepping onto a tradeshow floor—be it in Frankfurt, Atlanta, or Dubai—feels profoundly, wonderfully familiar.
For Chase Gandel, a project manager at NPARALLEL + Atomic Props, life moves between precision, people, and purpose. Based in his hometown of Crystal, Minnesota, Gandel manages a portfolio of brand activations and tradeshow exhibits across the United States.
Opened by Queen Elizabeth II on October 2nd, 1984, Canada’s Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) was built in Toronto’s Railway Lands. Also known as Metro Convention Centre and as Palais des congres du Toronto Metropolitain, the venue’s location along Front Street West is in the heart of downtown.
Budgets drive every decision. The range of the budgets can be staggering, but one thing stays the same: success comes down to strategy, not just size of spend.” — Cara Michalowski, president of LUXX Exposition Services.
