Every year, there are thousands of trade shows in the U.S. to choose from. In fact, 49 percent of all global trade shows are in the United States.
Vetting all of those options can be a daunting task for marketing and sales professionals from any industry. Here, we try to help you understand what the top trade shows are. Then we offer some advice on how you can use the best contracting firms like Blazer to make your trade show strategy a success.
First, Identify your Trade Show Goals
Before you look into which trade shows are best, you want to try to identify your trade show goals. Again, a firm like Blazer, with 40 years of high-level experience across every industry sector, can support you in integrating trade shows into your sales and marketing plan.
The basics are:
- What is your budget size? How much are you willing to spend on trade shows? You will experience registration fees, and then the costs of planning an exhibition space. You will also need to support your staff to travel to the show and manage the booth.
- How does it tie to your marketing and sales strategy? Are you trying to improve your social media reach, increase brand awareness, create new partnerships, or generate sales leads? You might focus on shows that are purely business-to-business if you aim to network. If your goal is to increase brand awareness, you will probably want to focus on shows that have a public interface or speaker opportunities.
- What are your learning goals? Many shows offer amazing opportunities to learn from the top professionals. Some even offer continuing credits for your industry specialty.
The 50 Top Trade Shows
With thousands of options, it can be tricky to identify the best shows. That is why we went to the trouble to create this comprehensive list of the top trade shows in the U.S. over the next year.
1. ClickCon is a four-day conference and trade show for the photography and imaging industry. The top brands will be on display (Cannon, Nikon, Fujifilm), with dozens of speakers and interactive learning opportunities
2. The CES Show for consumer technology showcases innovation across various industry sectors. It is one of the largest global events with nearly 150,000 attendees.
When and Where: January 7th to 10th, 2025. Las Vegas, NV.
3. The PPAI Expo is a tradeshow all about promotional products. It’s the perfect chance to mingle, hand out innovative swag, and show how your products stand out from the competition.
When and Where: January 14th to 16th, 2025. Las Vegas, NV.
4. Cosmoprof is a business-to-business gathering for finished products in the beauty industry, including skincare, cosmetics, fragrances, toiletries, accessories, and more. They have two opportunities available in Las Vegas and Miami over the next year.
When and Where: January 21st to 23rd, 2025. Miami, FL.
5. The World Ag Expo is one of the largest agricultural expos in the world, with unique sessions on wine and cheese, women in agriculture, and the top products and services.
When and Where: February 11th to 13th, 2025. Tulare, CA.
6. The Mobile Growth Association (MGA) Create the Future Summit explores AI, blockchain, and mobile gaming. It’s one of the premiere events in the industry, kept small to boost innovation and networking.
When and Where: February 12, 2025. Las Vegas, NV.
7. Vision Expo has both an East and West conference each year. This is for medical professionals, focusing on the ophthalmic industry. Learning and speaker opportunities abound, as well as showcases of the latest eye care, eyewear, fashion, and more.
When and Where: February 19th to 22nd, 2025. Orlando, FL.
8. SHARE is run entirely by volunteers and is a great opportunity for technological innovation, as well as IT personnel and companies.
When and Where: February 23-27, 2025. Washington, D.C
9. SXSW Conference & Festivals is one of the top festivals and events for showcasing innovation and creativity. 2025’s event had 24 different tracks over 9 days, for creatives in tech, film, television, music, and more.
When and Where: March 7th to 15th, 2025. Austin, TX
10. ASD Market Week is the main B2B public expo for the stock market and everything it covers, from vendors to e-commerce and more. Over 1800 vendors are in attendance every year.
When and Where: March 9-12, 2025. Las Vegas, NV.
11. The Health2Conf is one of the top trade show events in the healthcare industry. It focuses on innovation while providing ample opportunity to showcase offerings and network with peers.
When and Where: March 10th to 12th, 2025. Las Vegas, NV
12. The Traffic & Conversion Summit, known as T&C, has several different pass options each year. They focus on marketing and networking with a myriad of education options, networking opportunities, and breakout sessions for learning and development.
When and Where: March 11th to 13th, 2025. Las Vegas, NV.
13. Amusement Expo International is four action-packed days showcasing 200 companies for over 4,500 attendees. The event is one of the largest for industry specialists involved in the amusement industry.
When and Where: March 17th to 20th, 2025. Las Vegas, NV.
14. MGS Games. MGA hosts various other related events in different cities across the U.S. and in Canada if you can’t make the Create the Future Summit. One is the prestigious MGS Games summit in San Francisco, aimed at mobile game publishers.
When and Where: March 18th, 2025. San Francisco, CA.
15. SHRM Talent Conference & Expo is for people in charge of recruitment in the workforce. At the 2025 show, professionals can discover new ways and tactics to put skills development, including integrating AI, at the forefront of engagement systems.
When and Where: March 24th to 26th, 2025. Nashville, TN.
16. WonderCon, run by Comic-Con, gathers industry professionals tied to the comics niche. Thousands of people enjoy shows, awards, museum exhibitions, and more. If you’re looking for an adventure, Comic-Con is hosting a new event on a cruise ship from Tampa Bay to Cozumel from February 5th to 9th, 2025.
When and Where: March 28th to 30th, 2025. Anaheim, CA.
17. Social Media Marketing World hosts the best interactive educational sessions on social media marketing strategy, organic social marketing, and paid social marketing. The top thinkers convene to discuss trends and showcase new products and services in the field.
When and Where: March 30th to April 1, 2025. San Diego, CA.
18. Tech Up for Women events focus on advancing women in technology fields. There are showcasing opportunities for products and services, as well as awards and speaker events. Events are held throughout the U.S. and globally.
When and Where: May 6, 2025, the Ninth Annual Tech Up For Women Conference East. Clinton Mercantile Event Hall, New York, NY.
19. Unleash America is the leading trade show for recruitment, HR, and leaders throughout the United States. They host speakers and talk about trends and innovation in the workforce.
When and Where: May 6-8, 2025. Las Vegas, NV.
20. MAU Conference. Mobile Apps Unlocked (MAU) is designed for anyone working in the mobile app industry space, for small and large companies and individual start-ups.
When and Where: May 21st to May 22nd, 2025. Las Vegas, NV.
21. White Label World Expo is another retail event that welcomes both online and in-person retailers. They have more than 10,000 attendees each year and multiple venues to choose from, including Las Vegas and New York.
When and Where: May 30th to 31st. New York, NY.
22. The AWFS Fair is one of the largest expos for the woodworking and furnishing industries. Every two years, the Fair brings together a large gathering of equipment technology innovations and new ideas for the sector and its related businesses.
When and Where: July 22nd to 25th, 2025. Las Vegas, NV.
23. SIGGRAPH, hosted by Astound, is the premier conference and exhibition on computer graphics and interactive techniques in the imaging industry. The conference has ample virtual participation opportunities as well as in-person learning and exhibitions.
When and Where: August 10-14, 2025. Vancouver.
24. SuperZoo is North America’s largest pet retail event. It boasts over 65 educational sessions for industry specialists of all kinds.
When and Where: August 13-15, 2025. Las Vegas, NV.
25. Finovate hosts both a fall and spring expo in the US. It is one of the top global fintech events with a live stage, attracting the top innovations and leaders through interactive awards and speaker opportunities.
When and Where: Finovate Spring is Feb 25-26, 2025 in London, CA. Finovate Fall is September 8-9, 2025 in San Diago.
26. IFMA’s World Workplace is the largest facility management trade show and has been operating since 1995. The show brings together the top experts and offers the best opportunities for learning and development to advance in the field.
When and Where: Sep 17-19, 2025. Minneapolis, MN
27. Plant-Based World Expo brings together the future of plant-based products. This is for any industry utilizing plant-based approaches, from retail to food producers. Over 4,000 stakeholders are in attendance.
When and Where: September 24-25, 2025. New York, NY.
28. RetailX innovation conference and expo brings together e-commerce with internet retailers from across the globe. Products, resources, and plenty of education for internet retailers are available over three days of events.
29. The Global Gaming Expo brings together gamers and innovators alike. It’s all about bringing the most out of the digital age and trends and innovation in the gaming industry, from casinos to arcades and everything in between.
When and Where: OCTOBER 6-9, 2025. Las Vegas, NV.
30. IMEX America offers more than 2,200 exhibitors and 3,400 global decision-makers. It is the largest trade show for the global meetings, events, and incentive travel industry.
When and Where: October 7-9, 2025. Las Vegas, NV.
31. The Global Produce and Floral Show is hosted by the International Fresh Produce Association and is a must-attend event for producers and growers in the United States.
When and Where: October 16-18, 2025. Atlanta, GA.
32. Equip Exposition is the largest showcase for the outdoor industry, including power equipment, lawn and garden tech, and light construction. It boasts over 1,000 exhibitors.
When and Where: October 21-24, 2025. Louisville, KY.
33. Money 20/20 Conference is one of the top fintech shows out there. Everyone in the global money ecosystem including banks, payments, tech, startups, retail, fintech, financial services, and policy experts is in attendance.
When and Where: October 26-29, 2025. Las Vegas, NV.
34. Chicago Build Expo is a construction and design trade show that focuses on building, planning architecture, and trends in real estate.
When and Where: October 29-30, 2025. Chicago, IL.
35 Greenbuild Conference & Expo is one of the largest events in the world for the green building industry. The 2025 theme is “built to scale”, showcasing innovations in wholesaling and the capacity for spreading green building to global communities.
When and Where: November 4-7, 2025. Los Angeles.
36. AAPEX is one of the top trade shows in the U.S. geared towards automotive professionals. They have hands-on training as well as previews of innovations and one-on-one experiences.
When and Where: November 4–6, 2025. Las Vegas, NV.
37. The Super Computing Conference is perfect for anyone following a career in computing, from research to networks and everything in between. Professionals at the conference share innovations, opportunities, and more. This is a limited conference with an application selection.
When and Where: November 17-22. Atlanta, GA.
38. Mailcon is the world’s largest email marketing conference. 2024’s show was in Las Vegas, and new opportunities for 2025 and beyond will soon be announced.
39. The Empire Fintech Conference hosts over 700 attendees for what many consider to be the highlight of New York FinTech Week. It is one day in April packed with masterclasses, demos, keynotes, live podcasts, and networking.
A date and venue for 2025 will be determined soon.
40. The Summer Fancy Food Show brings together more than 10,000 people, including both domestic and international exhibitors for the show. It is one of the top networking and business planning trade shows in the U.S., hosted by the Specialty Food Association.
41. Digital Summit is a top trade show resource for marketers seeking to further their knowledge and skill set in the ever-evolving digital ecosystem. They hold multiple events in cities across the United States.
42. Social Media Strategies Summit is all about social media: learning trends, and strategies, and meeting new connections. You will be with other social media gurus learning everything that’s new and finding valuable tools and resources. There are targeted virtual events for different audiences – government, higher education, or general.
When (all virtual)
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- Social Media Strategies. Feb 26-27, 2025 or June 04-05,2025.
- Higher Ed Virtual Conference. October 20-22, 2025.
- Social Media for Government. December 10-11, 2025.
43. RIMS, run by the Risk Management Society, has multiple events throughout the year for this particular industry niche. Upcoming events include:
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- RISKWORLD 2025, May 4th to 7th in Chicago, IL.
- RIMS ERM Conference 2025, August 4-6, San Antonio, Texas.
44. MAGIC Fashion Events are in both New York (February) and Las Vegas. This is one of the best retail industry trade shows focusing on women’s clothing, fashion, and trends. They touch on creation, networking, commerce, and more.
When and Where: February 10-12, 2025. Las Vegas, NV.
45. Big Boys Toys Expo is the type of trade show you don’t want to send your husband to. He will surely find some new toy he “needs”! This tradeshow is all about luxury and innovation paired with the hottest new outdoor toys and experiences.
46. XLive by LDI is built for live event coordinators to come together and learn the latest trends in networking and event planning. There are 4 days of just conferencing before an exposition and trade show event.
47. HPE Discover is a Hewlett-Packard-sponsored computer industry show. It showcases technology, IT, electronics, and the digital age. The best thought innovators are in attendance, with this year’s keynote from NVIDIA’s founder and CEO.
48. Rockwell Automation Fair is great for skill-building and learning about new industrial automation approaches. It’s immersive and exciting, with over 10,000 automobile professionals in attendance.
49. The MarTech Conference has both a spring and a fall expo. It is aimed at marketing professionals from a variety of industries to learn new processes and systems.
50. MozCon is a marketing conference and SEO incubator focusing on innovative speakers and opportunities for learning, networking, and development.
When and Where: Yet to be announced.
What You Can Expect at the Top Trade Shows
The top trade shows in the U.S. vary in scope, size, and industry niche. But, the reality is that all of them have some similar characteristics, and you can hope for the same takeaways from most of them. These include:
- Networking connections
- Growing relationships
- Learning innovations
- Improving your brand
- Gathering new sales leads
- Acquiring new skills
The best firms, like Blazer Exhibits & Events, can help you prep for any show across any industry, no matter what your particular goals are or the size of the show. If you want to stand out at any of the top trade shows, you might request a quote today to consider your options.