2025 Guide to the Biggest U.S. Trade Shows and Conferences

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2025 Guide to the Biggest U.S. Trade Shows and Conferences

The largest trade shows in the United States are the epicenter of industry innovation, networking, and business development. From the groundbreaking technology at CES to the heavy machinery at The Utility Expo, these events gather tens of thousands of professionals and exhibitors under one roof. They are critical platforms for launching new products, engaging qualified prospects, and understanding market trends. For any business, from a fast-growing startup to a Fortune 500 leader, a strong presence at these shows is a game-changing strategy. But to truly capitalize on these opportunities, you need the right event marketing strategies and the best tools to collect and convert leads.

Here are the 50 largest trade shows in the United States

Trade Show Description Venue Net Sq. Feet Attendees Exhibitors
1 CES Consumer Electronics Show Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV 2,930,421 107,148 4,550
2 The Utility Expo (Formerly ICUEE) Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, KY 1,340,749 11,458 1,017
3 Florida RV SuperShow Florida State Fairgrounds, Tampa, FL 1,219,591 1,100 340
4 SEMA Show Specialty Equipment Market Association Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV 1,181,000 161,829* 2,400
5 America’s Largest RV Show Giant Center, Hershey, PA 1,056,068 1,498 210
6 NBAA-BACE Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV 965,700 24,823* 970
7 Equip Exposition (Formerly GIE+EXPO) Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, KY 953,698 18,231 865
8 NAB Show National Association of Broadcasters Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV 924,876 40,111 1,632
9 PACK EXPO Las Vegas Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV 889,599 31,007 2,015
10 FABTECH Various venues and U.S. cities 815,455 48,828* 1,696
11 Inspired Home Show (Formerly Int'l Home + Housewares) McCormick Place, Chicago, IL 812,135 34,500 2,203
12 RECon The Global Retail Real Estate Convention Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV 806,000 31,337 1,088
13 MAGIC Las Vegas Men’s Apparel Guild in California LVCC/Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV 777,555 76,819 4,697
14 World of Concrete Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV 773,728 40,402 1,504
15 National Restaurant Association Show McCormick Place, Chicago, IL 725,869 42,544 2,364
16 SHOT Show Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show Venetian Expo, Las Vegas, NV 689,010 20,025 2,513
17 Mid-America Trucking Show Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, KY 635,688 72,584 1,020
18 NAMM Show National Association of Music Merchants Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA 616,065 115,303* 1,917
19 NAHB International Builders’ Show Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV 609,261 63,816 1,484
20 HIMSS Global Health Conference Various venues and U.S. cities 606,750 17,655 1,328
21 IPPE International Production & Processing Expo Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA 594,052 32,655* 1,426
22 IAAPA Expo Amusement Parks and Attractions Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL 589,600 27,900 1,144
23 Natural Products Expo West Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA 583,696 52,120 3,697
24 OTC Offshore Technology Conference NRG Park, Houston, TX 564,840 35,968 2,325
25 National Hardware Show Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV 556,000 11,125 2,654
26 AAPEX Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo Venetian Expo, Las Vegas, NV 542,800 70,256 2,545
27 InfoComm Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL 524,339 43,230* 927
28 FDIC International Fire Department Instructors Conference Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, IN 499,175 29,741 784
29 AHR Expo Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA 493,120 27,047 1,824
30 Coverings Various venues and U.S. cities 479,788 16,800 1,100
31 RSNA Radiological Society of North America McCormick Place, Chicago, IL 450,400 32,015 735
32 North American International Toy Fair Javits Convention Center, New York, NY 447,458 12,820 1,039
33 E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA 445,500 35,000 211
34 NACS Show National Association of Convenience Stores Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA 431,800 7,643 1,251
35 IBIE International Baking Industry Exposition Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV 430,850 12,439 939
36 ProMat Productivity Through Material Handling McCormick Place, Chicago, IL 425,076 41,612 938
37 SCI Annual Hunters’ Convention Various venues and U.S. cities 415,000 N/A 936
38 JCK Las Vegas Jewelers Circular Keystone Venetian Expo, Las Vegas, NV 403,325 17,586 1,963
39 TISE The International Surface Event Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV 403,004 25,500* 745
40 ASCO Annual Meeting American Society of Clinical Oncology McCormick Place, Chicago, IL 399,172 34,000 402
41 NAFEM Show Food Equipment Manufacturers Various venues and U.S. cities 376,660 11,423 643
42 NACV Show North American Commercial Vehicle Show Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA 375,000 8,466 473
43 Performance Racing Industry Show Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, IN 373,500 53,132 1,185
44 PGA Show Professional Golfers’ Association Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL 373,000 25,761 830
45 MD&M West Medical Design & Manufacturing Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA 367,730 21,318 1,916
46 WWETT Show Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, IN 362,000 8,533 610
47 Summer Fancy Food Show Javits Convention Center, New York, NY 361,180 N/A 2,538
48 Global Pet Expo Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL 360,400 7,029 1,174
49 Premiere Beauty Orlando Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL 347,500 60,123 875
50 PRINTING United Expo Various venues and U.S. cities 346,310 21,052 684

The significance of attending these events cannot be overstated. They offer a rare confluence of innovation, networking, and business opportunities on a massive scale. The insights gained and relationships forged can catapult your business to new heights.

Don’t miss the chance to be part of the influential events that shape the future of your industry.

Planning Your Visit: Tips to Maximize Your Trade Show Experience

Attending a major trade show can be a pivotal moment for your business, but the scale and pace can be overwhelming without a solid plan. Here are comprehensive strategies to ensure you maximize every moment and drive measurable ROI.

Pre-Show Planning

  1. Define Your Objectives: Start with clear, measurable goals. Are you aiming to generate a specific number of qualified leads, find new channel partners, or conduct competitor analysis? Your objectives will guide every decision you make.

  2. Research and Prioritize: With thousands of exhibitors, you must identify the companies and individuals most relevant to your goals. Use the event's exhibitor list to create a "must-visit" list for your team.

  3. Schedule Meetings in Advance: Key decision-makers have packed schedules. Use professional networks and the event's official app to book meetings weeks before the show.

  4. Equip Your Team for Success: Don't rely on rented, event-specific scanners. Equip your team with an owned lead capture platform like Popl to standardize your process across all events, ensuring consistent, high-quality data capture no matter the show.

During the Show

  1. Arrive Early: The first hours of the day are often the quietest. Use this time to have more in-depth conversations with high-priority prospects and exhibitors before the floor gets crowded.

  2. Network Actively: Move beyond just collecting business cards. Use a digital business card to instantly share your contact information and use a powerful lead capture app to scan badges and cards directly into your CRM. This makes a modern, lasting impression.

  3. Take Detailed Notes: Capture key qualifying information during your conversations. Note a lead's specific pain points, interests, and purchase timeline. The best lead capture tools allow you to add custom notes and qualifiers to each contact.

  4. Stay Organized: Use your lead capture app to manage your schedule, track meetings, and organize the leads you've captured. A centralized dashboard keeps your entire team aligned and focused [1].

Post-Show Follow-Up

  1. Organize and Distribute Leads Instantly: With a tool like Popl, this step is already done. Leads are automatically synced to your CRM in real-time, complete with notes, and assigned to the correct sales rep.

  2. Follow Up Immediately: Speed-to-lead is the most critical factor in conversion. Because your leads are already in the CRM, your sales team can trigger automated follow-up sequences and begin outreach while your company is still top-of-mind.

  3. Evaluate Your Performance: Use your lead capture platform's analytics to measure success against your objectives. Track leads per rep, leads per day, and overall event ROI to refine your strategy for future shows.

  4. Share Learnings: Hold a post-mortem with your team to discuss what worked, what didn't, and how you can improve. Share key insights and hot leads to maintain momentum.

Why Popl is the Essential Tool for Trade Shows

To maximize your event ROI, you need to efficiently capture, enrich, and act on leads. Popl is a lead capture platform that combines digital business cards, universal scanning, and real-time CRM sync to turn event interactions into revenue.

Seamless Lead Capture and Instant Enrichment

  • Universal Scanning: Popl’s app replaces traditional conference lead scanners. Use your phone to scan event badges, paper business cards, or QR codes at trade shows—no more renting different hardware for every event.

  • AI-Powered Enrichment: Popl can enrich leads with contact details, job titles, company information, and LinkedIn profiles, helping to qualify leads for follow-up.

Real-Time CRM Sync and Accelerated Follow-Up

  • Eliminate Manual Work: Leads captured with Popl can sync automatically to your CRM, including Salesforce, HubSpot, and other integrations. This reduces manual data entry and helps prevent errors.

  • Maximize Conversion with Speed-to-Lead: Fast follow-up is critical in event marketing. Popl enables your sales team to engage with leads quickly, which can increase conversion rates.

Enhanced Team Collaboration and Efficiency

  • A Single Platform for All Events: Standardize your event lead capture process across your organization. With Popl, your team uses one tool for every trade show, conference, and field marketing event, helping ensure consistent data.

  • Actionable Analytics: Access real-time dashboards to track leads captured by each team member, measure ROI for each event, and identify top performers.

Unmatched Flexibility and Security

  • Capture Leads Anywhere: Networking happens beyond the booth. With Popl, your team can capture leads in hallways, at dinners, or during off-site meetings.

  • Reliable Offline Capabilities: Popl works offline, storing captured leads on your device and syncing them to your CRM when you reconnect.

  • Enterprise-Grade Security: Popl is built with security protocols to help protect company and customer data.

FAQs: Maximizing Trade Show Success with Popl

1. How does Popl improve lead capture at trade shows?

Popl is a modern solution for event marketing. Its scanner uses AI and OCR to capture data from badges, business cards, or QR codes at events. This removes the need for show-specific rental scanners. Leads can be enriched with verified data and synced to your CRM in real-time.

2. Can Popl integrate with our company's CRM?

Yes. Popl offers integrations with leading CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot, plus others through platforms like Zapier. This ensures that every lead your team captures is available in your system of record, reducing manual data entry and accelerating speed-to-lead.

3. What makes Popl different from the lead retrieval app provided by the event?

Popl is an owned platform, while event apps are typically rentals. With Popl, you have one standardized system for all your events, ensuring consistent data and processes. Event apps are often limited to a single show, may require manual data export, and may lack enrichment and analytics. Popl provides real-time sync, enrichment, and analytics across your event program.

4. How does Popl's AI enrichment work?

When you scan a badge or business card, Popl's AI uses OCR to extract data, then cross-references public and private data sources to find and verify the lead's professional email, job title, company details, and LinkedIn profile.

5. Does Popl work if the WiFi at the event is bad?

Yes. Popl is designed for event environments where connectivity can be unreliable. The app's offline capabilities allow you to continue scanning and capturing leads without interruption. All data is stored on your device and syncs to the cloud and your CRM when you're back online.

6. How does Popl help with post-event follow-up?

Popl enables immediate follow-up by syncing leads to your CRM in real-time, allowing you to trigger automated email sequences or alert sales reps to begin outreach while the conversation is still fresh.

7. Is Popl secure for enterprise use?

Popl is used by many companies, including large organizations, and employs security measures and data privacy standards to help protect your lead and company data.

8. How can my team get started with Popl for our next trade show?

Getting started is simple. Visit popl.co to book a demo with an event technology expert. They will show you how the platform works and tailor a plan to meet your team's goals for upcoming events.

Meta Description

Discover the top 50 largest U.S. trade shows in 2025, with expert tips for networking, lead capture, and maximizing ROI using innovative tools like Popl.

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What our customers say about Popl

"Popl has transformed our event marketing game. We’re capturing more data than ever before, seamlessly syncing it into HubSpot, and tracking ROI from shows."

"Popl has transformed our event marketing game. We’re capturing more data than ever before, seamlessly syncing it into HubSpot, and tracking ROI from shows."

Kati McCabe

Demand Generation Marketing Manager

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"We started using Popl recently to help us connect and engage and the team loves it. Thank you Popl for helping us reach as many people as we can to help achieve our mission of helping every human at their weakest most vulnerable moments."

"We started using Popl recently to help us connect and engage and the team loves it. Thank you Popl for helping us reach as many people as we can to help achieve our mission of helping every human at their weakest most vulnerable moments."

Jose Mejia

President & COO

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"As one of the leaders always says, "form follows function." We try our hardest to operate in ways that make the most sense for what we are trying to accomplish—and, of course, how to work smarter rather than harder with tools like Popl."

"As one of the leaders always says, "form follows function." We try our hardest to operate in ways that make the most sense for what we are trying to accomplish—and, of course, how to work smarter rather than harder with tools like Popl."

Alyssa Garrie

Marketing Manager

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"We booked $1.2M in qualified pipeline in April 2025 using Popl. With Popl you have the power & impact of an entire booth completely within your phone; without the costs and headache of setup + takedown."

"We booked $1.2M in qualified pipeline in April 2025 using Popl. With Popl you have the power & impact of an entire booth completely within your phone; without the costs and headache of setup + takedown."

Spencer Gospe

Senior Business Development

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"Popl has helped us streamline our post event nurture strategy significantly. This has truly made it easier for our sales team members to reach their revenue goals."

"Popl has helped us streamline our post event nurture strategy significantly. This has truly made it easier for our sales team members to reach their revenue goals."

Public Company, Blinded Study

Events Support Specialist

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