G2E shifts ‘06 convention dates

Liz Benston and Richard N. Velotta

Monday, April 4, 2005 | 11 a.m.

The gaming industry's largest conference and trade show is pushing back the dates of its 2006 event to fill the space vacated by the departing Comdex computer trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The American Gaming Association's Global Gaming Expo will be held Nov. 14-16 instead of its regular September time slot in order to move the annual show to the convention center's Central Hall from the nearby South Hall, organizers said. The Global Gaming Expo's one-day Training and Development Institute will be held Nov. 13.

This year's G2E is scheduled for Sept. 13-15 in the Central Hall with the one-day training institute on Sept. 12.

The move will give the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority more flexibility in show scheduling and should result in additional events, an LVCVA official said today.

"The jigsaw puzzle is moving quite a bit," said Chris Meyer, senior director of convention center sales for the LVCVA. "With G2E moving to the Comdex dates, it opens up some dates that were reserved in September and October. We have a couple of bookings right now that are on top of each other."

Meyer explained that the move is a win-win for G2E and the LVCVA because the growing gaming event will have more flexibility to expand in the future. In addition, events like the National Association of Convenience Stores and National Business Aviation Show should be able to solidify their future dates and open up space for still more events.

"The calendar is going to shift quite a bit," Meyer said. "But there will be a net gain of shows that we haven't had here before."

Meyer said fall months are the most popular for staging conventions in Las Vegas.

The Central Hall has more conference space than the South Hall and is more conveniently located, American Gaming Association Executive Director Judy Patterson said. The AGA organizes the event with Reed Exhibitions.

The South Hall's trade show floor is on two levels, while the Central Hall features a single floor that is more accessible, she said. Last year, an investment conference was located to the rear of the ground floor exhibit hall and far afield from the other conference sessions.

"That layout just doesn't work for our industry and the size of our show," Patterson said. "We surveyed exhibitors and attendees and everybody prefers the Central Hall."

The show also will have an option of expanding into the convention center's North Hall, which is located between the Central Hall and the Las Vegas Hilton, she said. The Central Hall also is more conveniently located to meeting rooms G2E needs.

Last year's attendance grew by 10 percent to 25,018 people and exhibitors rose 16 percent to 705. The event also features more than 100 conference sessions.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is projecting some 27,000 attendees for this year's show. Exhibitors are expected to fill some 275,000 square feet of convention space, Patterson said.

The South Hall is 934,988 square feet between two floors and the Central Hall is 635,722 square feet on one level.

This year, the Las Vegas Convention Center will host FireRescue Convention and Expo, with 3,000 attendance projected, an event for fire rescue personnel, firefighters and paramedics, Nov. 11-13; and the North American Kennel Federation Inc.'s North American Winner 2005 international dog show, 10,000 attendance projected, Nov. 17-20. Neither are calendared for 2006.