The 2013 PSP Expo was an exciting time — and that’s not just because the show was in Las Vegas for the first time in two years. With a sprawling show floor of education, products and event, the PSP Expo's three days at Mandalay Bay had a lot to offer attendees.
So what's the verdict on the 2013 PSP Expo? While official attendance numbers are still being calculated (and we'll cover that information as it is released), we spoke with Tracy Garcia, CEM and show director, and asked her a few questions about the recent show.
So how did the show do this year in terms of net square footage, exhibitor count and attendance? We had 140,850 net square feet with 539 exhibiting companies. Verified attendance was up 16 percent!
How many exhibitors have already signed on for next year?We currently have 80 companies in 27,300 net square feet and are still receiving contracts from show site this week.
Overall, how did you think the show went?We were genuinely impressed with the numbers of beautiful exhibits, engaging displays and the wide variety of unique products being presented at the expo in 2013. It was clear the exhibitors had spent a lot of time and energy ensuring an incredible show floor experience for the attendees. And that inspiring show floor did not go unnoticed, as the show maintained a high level of attendance across all three days of the expo with the feedback being incredibly positive. A constant buzz of business occurring on the floor could be heard from every corner of the expo hall; it was electric. The numbers are not yet in, but the PSP Expo is confident at an impressive year over year growth in 2013 attendance and at the push this increase will provide to the industry in 2014.
People couldn’t stop talking about the Welcome Party at LIGHT Nightclub — how many people went?It was a huge success with more than 800 people attending.
How did the education lineup go? The educational offerings were very well received. Conference attendees were very impressed at the level of the offerings this year. They were also encouraged to see that all new sessions were being offered. Conference attendees also were impressed that a lot of the speakers were new to the program. We had to reset a lot of our meeting rooms to accommodate the large number of attendees. There was a definite buzz in the conference area and all of the feedback we received was very positive.
How many conference sessions were there and how does that compare to last year?We offered 40 classes and they were all brand new. Our conference attendance was tracking 16 percent more than last year prior to the show
What is the outlook for next year’s show?The 2014 expo will be held November 5 to 7 at the Orange County Convention Center in Sunny Orlando Florida. Orlando is an inviting city full of incredible things for attendees to engage in alongside the show that can only be provided by Orlando. With many exhibitor commitments already in place from this year’s Vegas show for 2014, we can only plan for “sunny-skies-the-limit” as we work toward our 2014 Orlando expo experience for the industry.
Check back here at AQUA for future coverage of the PSP Expo's official attendance.
