2026 to be record year for Las Vegas conventions

A big investment in Southern Nevada’s public convention center infrastructure will pay off with what’s expected to be a record convention and trade show year in 2026.

“The upgrade of this building (the Las Vegas Convention Centers) matters a lot,” Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Steve Hill said of the $600 million renovation that will be completed in time for CES in January.

“One of our biggest customers at one point said, ‘You know, it’s nice not to have a D-plus building in an A-plus destination,’” Hill said in a recent interview. “It’s like, ‘Yeah, I know.’ But he was right. The building had gotten tired. It needed an upgrade. It’s startling how much better it is, how bright it is, how open it is. It felt like a cave in retrospect. And our customers felt that way. And so this gives us an opportunity to have a convention center that matches the great destination that we’re in.”

Some of the LVCVA’s resort partners concur. In third-quarter earnings calls, executives of Las Vegas’ top public companies have remarked that 2026 is destined to be a record year for group sales, conventions and trade shows.

Bound to return

On numerous occasions, tourism leaders have said if conventioneers have a good experience in Las Vegas for their shows, they’re bound to eventually return as a leisure customer.

The Las Vegas Convention Center is on pace to host upwards of 1.23 million tradeshow attendees in 2026, up from 1.06 million in 2025. That doesn’t count the thousands of convention attendees that will attend shows at two other major convention centers, The Venetian Expo and the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, or the smaller convention facilities most resorts have.

Ranked by exhibition space, the Las Vegas Convention Center is the second largest in the United States with 2.5 million square feet behind Chicago’s McCormick Place with 2.67 million square feet. The Las Vegas Convention Center ranks third in the nation behind McCormick Place and Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center when considering total square footage, which includes outdoor areas.

But when you combine the LVCC with The Venetian Expo and Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas becomes the clear leader with three major convention centers within four miles of each other.

The Venetian Expo is the 10th largest convention center in the country at 936,600 square feet, while Mandalay Bay ranks 11th at 861,231 square feet.

While each resort company has its own sales force and convention calendar, 2026 is poised to be a big year because of several major citywide shows, a handful of new-to-Las Vegas events and the appearance of one major show that only meets once every three years.

CES, the second-largest convention on Las Vegas’ calendar in 2026, kicks off the year Jan. 6-9 at multiple venues with 140,000 attendees expected.

The third largest show of the year arrives in March when the ConExpo-Con/Agg construction equipment trade show arrives at the LVCC with 139,000 attendees March 3-7. That’s the show that’s scheduled every third year.

The city’s largest show of the year is what’s called Automotive Aftermarket Week and includes the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo the Specialty Equipment Market Association Show Nov. 3-6 with 160,000 attendees spread out over the LVCC, The Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum.

Rounding out the top five shows by attendance are No. 4 National Association of Broadcasters, 61,100 attendees at the LVCC April 19-22, and No. 5 Shooting, Hunting & Outdoor Trade Show, known as the SHOT Show, with 61,000 at The Venetian and Caesars Forum Jan. 20-23.

With the opportunity to offer more dates to prospective clients, LVCVA sales representatives have a handful of new shows coming to town.

Among the new shows for 2026 are the Sweets and Snacks Expo, with 16,000 attendees, May 19-21, and McDonald’s Worldwide, 15,000 attendees, June 1-3.

Hill said convention center floors also are perfect for hosting indoor sports tournaments, including volleyball and basketball. During slow trade-show periods – the summer months and around holidays — the convention center may be filled with athletes that fill hotels with their fans or parents.

List of shows

Here are more highlights from the 2026 convention calendar that will fill local resorts throughout the year:

— Affiliate Summit West 2026, Caesars Forum, Jan. 12-14, 7,000 attendees.

— The Promotional Products Expo 2026, Mandalay Bay, Jan. 12-15, 20,000.

— Get Your Teach On Conference 2026, Westgate Las Vegas, 5,000.

— International Roofing Expo 2026, LVCC, Jan. 20-22, 15,000.

— World of Concrete Expo 2026, LVCC, Jan. 20-22, 58,000.

— Sports Licensing & Tailgate Show 2026, LVCC, Jan. 21-23, 5,500.

— AVN Adult Entertainment Expo 2026 Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Jan 21-24, 15,000.

— International Winter World Market Center, Jan. 25-29, 38,000.

— The International Surface Event 2026, Mandalay Bay, Jn. 26-29, 25,000.

— National Grocers Association NGA Show 2026, MGM Grand, Feb. 1-3, MGM Grand, 5,000.

— AHR Expo 2026 (heating, air conditioning, ventilation and refrigeration show) LVCC, Feb. 2-4, 50,000.

— National Automobile Dealers Association Annual National Convention (NADA 2026), LVCC, Feb. 4-6, 22,000.

— Manifest Show 2026 (supply chain show), The Venetian, Feb. 6-12, 7,200.

— Viticus Group WVC Annual Conference, Mandalay Bay, Feb. 15-18, 22,000.

— Men’s Apparel Guild in California (MAGIC Spring 2026), LVCC, Feb. 17-29, 25,000.

— National Association for College Admission Counseling, National College Fair – Las Vegas 2026, LVCC, Feb.19-20, 3,000.

— Structured Finance Association - SFVegas Conference 2026, Aria, Feb. 22-25, 9,000.

— RE/MAX R4 Convention 2026,Mandalay Bay, Feb. 23-26, 6,000.

— WPPI Wedding & Portrait Photographers Conference Expo 2026, Rio, March 1-3, 10,000.

— Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society (HIMSS26) Annual Conference & Exhibition 2026, The Venetian, 40,000.

— ASD Market Week Winter 2026 (wholesale retail merchandise), LVCC, March 15-19, 26,000.

— International Wireless Communications Expo 2026, LVCC, March 16-19, 5,000.

— Amusement Expo 2026, LVCC, March 18-19, 4,600.

— Shoptalk Spring 2026 (retail) Mandalay Bay, March 22-26, 10,000.

— Bar & Restaurant Expo (NCB) 2026, LVCC, March 23-25, 11,000.

— International Security Conference (ISC) West 2026, The Venetian, March 23-27, 20,000.

— International Pizza Expo 2026, LVCC, March 24-26,15,000.

— Coverings 2026, LVCC, March 30-April 2, 25,000.

— Total Products Expo 2026, LVCC, March 31-April 2, 8,000.

— National Hardware Show 2026, LVCC, April 1-3, 11,000.

— Customer Connect Expo 2026, LVCC, April 8-9, 4,000.

— Channel Partners Conference & Expo 2026, The Venetian, April 13-16, 8,000.

— CinemaCon 2026, Caesars Palace, April 13-15, 5,000.

— International Door Association Expo+ 2026, LVCC, April 13-17, 3,500.

— Adobe Summit 2026, The Venetian Expo, April 19-28, 10,000.

— Google Cloud Next, Mandalay Bay, April 22-24, 35,000.

— Bitcoin 2026, The Venetian, April 27-29, 13,000.

— Think 2026, (IBM Think), MGM Grand, April 29-May 8, 6,000.

— ACT Expo 2026 (fleet technology), LVCC, May 4-7, 15,000.

— HD Expo + Conference 2026, Mandalay Bay, May 5-7, 17,000.

— Knowledge 2026 (artificial intelligence), The Venetian Expo, May 5-7, 25,000.

— CHAMPS Trade Show Winter 2026 (counterculture business to business), LVCC, May 6-9, 15,000.

— Primerica Road Show 2026, LVCC, May 8-9, 20,000.

— International Council of Shopping Centers Las Vegas 2026, LVCC, May 19-20, 25,000.

— Licensing International Expo 2026, Mandalay Bay, May 19-21, 25,000.

— Couture 2026, Wynn Las Vegas, May 27-31, 5,000.

— Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Annual Show 2026, Wynn Las Vegas, May 28-31, 7,500.

— JCK Annual Trade Show 2026 (jewelry industry), The Venetian Expo, May 29-June 1, 20,000.

— Cisco Live 2026, Mandalay Bay, May 31-June 4, 20,000.

— Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association (AVIXA) - Infocomm 2026, LVCC, June 17-19, 30,000.

— International Esthetics Cosmetics & Spa Conference (IECSC)/Intl Beauty Show Las Vegas (IBS) 2026, LVCC, June 27-29, 13,000.

— Cosmoprof North America 2026, Mandalay Bay, July 13-15, 38,000.

— International Summer World Market Center, July 26-30, 38,000.

— Def Con 2026 (computer security), LVCC, Aug. 7-9, 30,000.

— Men’s Apparel Guild in California (MAGIC Fall 2026), LVCC, Aug. 10-12, 25,000.

— SuperZoo 2026 (pet retail), Mandalay Bay, Aug. 11-14, 11,000.

— ASD Market Week Summer 2026 (wholesale retail merchandise), LVCC, Aug. 24-27, 25,000.

— CHAMPS Trade Show Summer 2026 (counterculture business to business), LVCC, Aug. 26-29, 15,000.

— VMware Explore 2026, The Venetian Expo, Aug. 31-Sept. 12, 7,000.

— White Label World Expo 2026, LVCC, Sept. 23-24, 4,000.

— Glassbuild America 2026, LVCC, Sept. 23-25, 10,000.

— Printing United Exposition 2026, LVCC, Sept. 23-25, 30,000.

— Global Gaming Expo 2026, The Venetian, Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 29,000.

— Vet Together Annual Conference 2026, LVCC, Oct. 2-4, 1,000.

— National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) 2026 Convention, Mandalay Bay, Oct. 4-7, 7,000.

— Las Vegas Souvenir & Resort Gift Show 2026, LVCC, Oct. 6-9, 5,000.

— National Association of Convenience Stores, Inc. (NACS Annual Meeting & Exposition 2026), LVCC, Oct. 7-9, 26,000.

— Las Vegas BIG Industry Show 2026 (business-to-business wholesale), LVCC, Oct. 8-9, 1,000.

— IMEX (business events industry), Mandalay Bay, Oct. 13-15, 16,000.

— National Business Aviation Association, Inc. (NBAA Convention and Exhibition 2026), LVCC, Oct. 20-22, 17,000.

— FABTECH 2026 (metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing), LVCC, Oct. 21-23, 40,000.

— SuiteWorld 2026 (Oracle products), Caesars Forum, The Venetian, Oct. 26-29, 7,000.

— Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) Annual Conference, Mandalay Bay, Nov. 4-11, 6,500.

— RE+ 2026, LVCC, Nov. 17-19, 40,000.

— Wedding MBA Convention 2026 (wedding business merchants), LVCC, Nov. 18-19, 6,500.

— MJBizCon 2026 (cannabis), LVCC. Dec. 2-4, 15,000.

— LDI Show/DSE 2026 (lighting technology), LVCC, Dec. 4-6,14,000.

— Irrigation Association Expo 2026, LVCC, Dec. 9-12, 5,000.

— National Ground Water Association (NGWA) Expo & Annual Meeting 2026, LVCC, Dec. 9-10, 6,000.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.