Tarsus Group’s Trade Show News Network (TSNN) is pleased to announce the release of the 2011 TSNN Top 250 Trade Shows in the United States.

Culled from show management and data supplied to TSNN, the list represents the top 250 trade shows held last year in the U.S. ranked by net square footage.  The full list can be found at http://www.tsnn.com/datasite-us

It likely comes as no surprise that the Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ triennial CONEXPO-CON/AGG scored the top spot on the 2011 list, with a massive 2.4 million net square foot showfloor at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

“This is indeed an honor for CONEXPO-CON/AGG, and our success is the result of the show’s industry and customer focus on quality,” said Megan Tanel, AEM’s vice president exhibitions & events.

She added, “The show is truly an example of so much achieved because of energetic and diligent teamwork by so many during our 3-year show cycle.”

Snagging the No. 2 spot on the 2011 list is the annual show that held the No. 1 spot in last year, the Consumer Electronic Association’s International CES, with a 1.6 million net sq. ft. showfloor also at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

 “CEA is pleased to have its International CES event recognized as the largest annual tradeshow in North America again for 2011,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president of CEA.

She added, “Our success stems from being at the forefront of an innovative industry and positioning the International CES as the must-attend event for technology and related industry executives to see the future and do business. The 2011 CES featured some 20,000 new products, including 4G LTE, electric vehicles, and tablets, and attracted 149,000 business executives including over 30,000 international attendees and 22 top CEOs participating in keynotes.”

Other shows in the top 10 included a wide range of industries - the gift and home furnishings markets, aircraft, retail, commercial real estate, construction equipment and automotive special products.

Once again, Las Vegas had the most shows on the 2011 TSNN Top 250 Trade Show list, with 55, followed by Orlando at No. 2, with 26 shows last year, and Chicago taking No. 3, with 21 shows on the list.

“The fact that Las Vegas has maintained our position year after year as the country’s No. 1 trade show destination speaks to the strength of our brand,” said Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “The commitment of our resort partners to provide the best facilities, service and other amenities demonstrates there’s no better value for the experience than Las Vegas.”

The rankings of the other top 10 cities include No. 4 New York (18 shows); No. 5 Atlanta (11 shows); No. 6 New Orleans (10 shows); No. 7 Louisville (8 shows); No. 8 San Francisco, Boston and Anaheim (7 shows); No. 9 Dallas and Washington, D.C. (6 shows); No. 10 Denver, Indianapolis and San Diego (5 shows).

The show management company with the most shows on the list was Nielsen Expositions, with 12, followed by Reed Exhibitions (10), George Little Management (7), UBM (6) and Hall-Erickson and Hanley Wood Exhibitions each had five.

The busiest trade show month in 2011 was January, with 32 shows, followed by February and March, with 28 shows. The busiest month in the fall was October, with 25 shows, and in the summer June was the busiest, with 22 shows, but the slowest month was December, with just 3 shows.

To see the full list of 2011 TSNN Top 250 Trade Shows please visit http://www.tsnn.com/datasite-us

The list includes show name, link to show’s Web site, show dates and description, number of attendees, exhibitors, net square footage, show location and venue.