The 19 US Trade Shows You Should Definitely Keep an Eye on in 2023

Wondering whether there’s a good fit for your company in the United States of America that’s going to open doors to the biggest market in North America? We have you covered with 19 trade shows we offer our clients as destinations, and assist in organising their business trip.

There’s a choice for each industry. Let’s see what’s in store for 2023. Shall we?

National Hardware Show 2023: January 31st – February 2nd

The National Hardware Show (NHS) will do things differently in 2023 by partnering up with the NAHB International Builders’ Show (IBS) and NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) at Design & Construction Week in order to create a powerhouse mega event, which will take over the Las Vegas Convention Center. NHS continues to reinvent itself and prove why it’s number one for the home improvement & DIY industry.

The trade show has a global impact and opens doors to one of the most active markets in the world. In fact, the audience grew by a whole 38% compared to 2019, which is impressive to do in the middle of a pandemic. You get to meet with home centres, independent retailers, online retailers, wholesalers and distributors, who are greatly invested in new products and have the budget to commit to large purchases. Join 705 exhibitors, who know what’s good!

© National Hardware Show

IBS 2023: January 31st – February 2nd

IBS is the second major event of the trio of events at Design & Construction Week in Las Vegas, exhibiting the full product portfolio for the building and construction industry alongside NHS and NKBA’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS). Over 800 exhibitors are preparing to set up shop at the Las Vegas Convention Center early next year and showcase products, materials, machinery and equipment for every part of the construction process.

Not to mention you stand to learn about new practices, guidelines, standards and skills in over 100 education sessions scheduled across 9 tracks.

© Oscar Einzig Photography

Outdoor Retailer Market: January / June

Outdoor Retailer Market boasts a reputation as the defining trade show for the outdoor industry. There’s really no competition to be had, and the event is on its swift comeback despite the ongoing pandemic. The summer edition featured over 650 exhibitors, who cover the full outdoor and snow sports value chain. The Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah hosts the Outdoor Retailer Market 2023 first on January 10th – 12th, and then on June 19th – 21st.

Overall, editions draw in a total of 25,500 visitors and you’re able to connect with retail buyers, importers and distributors during the show. These are all leaders in their respective niches and give access to all 50 states in the country as well as 50 international markets. The trade show opens the door to North America unlike any other.

© Scott Martin

Natural Products Expo West 2023: March 7th – 11th

Natural Products Expo West is based in the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, and has risen as the largest trade show for the natural, organic, and healthy products industry. The natural and organic industry is set to cross the $300 billion mark in sales by 2023, and the USA is the biggest consumer of organic products. This makes your attendance here a given since where else will you have easy access to retailers, distributors, industry members, health practitioners, food service and press members.

The 2022 edition alone featured products from over 2,700 exhibitors, which resulted in a turnout of 57,000 trade visitors invested in natural and organic foods & beverages, clean beauty and home products and supplements and ingredients. In fact, some of the biggest retailers were there such as Albertson’s, Kroger, Aldi, 7-Eleven, Sprouts, Whole Foods Market, GNC, Costco, Cambridge Naturals, PCC Markets, Earth Fare, Natural Grocers and Healthy Edge.

Game Developers Conference 2023: March 20th – 24th

Game Developers Conference 2023 returns to the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California locked and loaded. The game industry's premier professional event, the conference is a place for the entire gaming community to come together, network, compare notes and push gaming technology to new heights. The conference impresses with a lineup of top-tier lectures, panels, and roundtable discussions hosted by the biggest names in the industry. Discover solutions to current challenges and find inspiration.

We also have to highlight the GDC Expo portion of the event, which hosts a variety of the latest game development tools and services. Exhibitors include industry giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Intel, Nvidia, Oculus, Epic, Google and Sony.

© Game Developers Conference

SIAL America 2023: March 28th – March 30th

SIAL America is the off-shoot event of the groundbreaking SIAL based in France. This trade show operates out of Las Vegas and is known as America’s main B2B platform for food and beverages. It’s a premier cross-category food and beverage trade show, which is paired with a conference of the highest order. It’s the meeting place for the $1.5 trillion food and beverage industry – certainly a good reason to attend.

The Las Vegas Convention Center attracts domestic and international exhibitors, key importers, food service companies, distributors, retailers, wholesalers and restaurateurs. SIAL America 2022 was the first edition, which performed quite well with over 4600 industry professionals attending the trade show, which resulted in a total of 700 formal meetings. Overall, a solid start for the new chapter of the SIAL brand.

© Julian

ENC: April 16th – April 21st

ENC is travelling again to Pacific Grove, California, where its 64th edition will take place live at the Asilomar Conference Center. Organisers are excited to bring back the Experimental Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Conference as a fully in-person event and restart conversations about NMR research in earnest.

COVERINGS 2023: April 18th – April 21st

COVERINGS 2023 is set to return to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, and deliver the newest and best in ceramic tiles and natural stone covering. The trade show has cornered the American market and attendance guarantees a direct like to the relevant distributors, retailers, designers, architects, stone fabricators, contractors, installers, builders and remodelers. Innovation in design and manufacturing are always welcome and celebrated.

A good 94% of visitors judge COVERINGS to be a crucial part of their business and each edition offers over 25 learning opportunities.

© COVERINGS

OTC 2023: May 1st – May 4th

OTC (Offshore Technology Conference) returns to the NRG Park in Houston, Texas to introduce new strategies, solutions, products and technologies for the offshore energy supply chain as shown by over 1000 exhibitors. The trade show is sponsored by 13 nonprofit organisations in the energy industry, which are responsible for the technical program. You’re spoiled for choice with more than 300 peer-selected technical presentations.

Editions are quite successful with an audience of 24,000 trade visitors and counting, who want to catch up, network and update their knowledge about the state of the offshore energy sector. It’s not just an American event, but a truly global meeting point as 130 countries gather in Houston to shape the future of energy.

© GCE NODE

JCK 2023: June 2nd – June 5th

The JCK returns to The Venetian Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada refreshed and energised at the start of the summer. There’s no jewellery buying event in North America that’s as important as JCK. It’s a sourcing platform that appeals to 17,500 buyers and 7500 storefronts, who attend with one goal in mind – buy! Join 13,000 domestic retailers and 3,800 international retailers to impress and inspire the whole North American marketplace.

You meet with the whole retail ecosystem in the states – independent jewellery retailers, online and Internet retailers, wholesalers, specialty gift shops & boutiques, designers, department stores and catalogue retailers, and chain & mass merchants.

© Nationaljeweler

NeoCon 2023: June 12th – 14th

NeoCon is the world’s leading platform and biggest event for the commercial design industry. It’s only fitting that a trade show dedicated to design be hosted at The Mart in Chicago, Illinois. The space offers more than 400 leading companies and newcomers a space of nearly 1 million square feet to spread their wings and demonstrate what they’re capable of. Each edition brings the audience some truly breathtaking moments of creativity and invention.

What does the built environment of tomorrow look like? This is where designers, architects, end-users, manufacturers, dealers, service providers, associations, educators and students learn together at the same time. All 40,000 visitors in total. Participate in crucial conversations and stay for the wonderful curation of keynotes, roundtable discussions and special presentations.

© Adforminteriors

PLASTEC East 2023: June 13th – June 15th

Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City is the headquarters of the definitive trade show for the plastics and polymers industry in North America - PLASTEC East. Plastic is the material that all industries depend upon and this trade show opens up channels to all sectors, allowing you to diversify your revenue streams.

PLASTEC East examines emerging technologies and solutions for injection molding, 3D Printing, manufacturing equipment, automation, plastics & polymers, and mold & dies as presented by over 300 exhibitors to an audience of 4000 trade visitors, who are in charge of purchasing decisions in their respective organisations. In addition to the show floors, visitors also benefit from a series of over 30 free educational sessions.

These numbers are for a whole portfolio of events – D&M East, MD&M East, EastPack, ATX East and Quality Expo East.

D&M East 2023: June 13th – June 15th

Atlantic Design & Manufacturing or better known as D&M East is one of the many shows that take place at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City at the same time. Together all shows create cross-industry synergy and synchronicity. D&M East is home to manufacturers and experts in design and production. The main focus of the trade show falls on CAD/CAM/PDM software, production services, equipment and materials.

EastPack 2023: June 13th – June 15th

EastPack is another one of the portfolio of events as part of the bigger IME narrative, and its main target is the packaging design and manufacturing industry. The trade show is considered the big ticket packaging event for the region and a prime meeting spot for suppliers and buyers. EastPack entices exhibitors with its cross-industry appeal since decision makers come from the household, personal care, medical, food and beverage, industrial and cannabis sectors.

The Education Theater is dedicated to new F&B trends, while the show floor gives visitors a deep look into robotics at every point of the processing line. Perhaps most interesting is the exploration of cannabis packaging design and regulatory updates as the cannabis market is relatively new, but has so far proven itself to be ripe for the taking.

ATX East 2023: June 13th – June 15th

ATX East is the final event we’re covering from the IME portfolio. What’s special about this trade show is that it’s the definitive sourcing platform for automation solutions in industrial production and manufacturing. The main focus falls on 3D printing, robotics, assembly, smart manufacturing, motion control and manufacturing equipment. All the building blocks to completely rework and improve the entire production lifecycle. Naturally, it’s the go-to platform for technology launches and B2B networking on the territory of the United States of America.

© Market-prospects

AAPEX 2023: November 1st – 3rd

AAPEX unites and strengthens the professional automotive community at The Venetian Expo in Las Vegas over the course of three days. It’s the best place to see the American automotive industry in full and make contacts with skilled workers, vendors, decision makers, garages and leaders. The trade show is big business as it has 665 companies and suppliers debuting new products to the market across over 1000 product categories.

The audience is certainly receptive as each edition generates a turnout of 97,000 trade visitors, who come to research new products and solutions, review live demos and participate in top-tier training sessions and seminars. With so much changing technology-wise and rising standards, the need to improve skills is felt every moment. AAPEX remains the sole place where this is possible.

© Cvent

FABTECH 2023: Early November

FABTECH alternates between Las Vegas, Chicago and Atlanta, the last of which is where the 2022 edition is scheduled to take place before returning to Las Vegas. The trade show is known as North America’s largest and most authoritative event for metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing. Exhibitors bring in the next generation of high-tech metalworking machinery and thrives as the go-to procurement platform.

You can definitively see this in the numbers. Editions regularly bring in over 65,000 trade visitors from a total of 90 countries, proving the show has a strong international appeal. There are 1200 exhibitors and 300 new products launched on average. Come for the incredible B2B networking, but stay for an exciting knowledge programme, which consists of over 150 conference sessions.

© Fabtechexpo

IAAPA Attractions Expo: November 14th – November 18th

Known as the Global Attractions Industry’s Premier Event, IAAPA Attractions Expo is a duo of conference and trade show aimed at the amusement industry. Over 850 companies showcase the next generation of equipment, technologies, services and solutions suitable for theme parks, family entertainment centres, zoos, aquariums, museums, science centres, and attractions.

It only makes sense that this event is held nowhere else but the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. The city is home to one of the biggest amusement parks in the world after all – Disney Park. Turnout is more than satisfactory with over 25,000 trade visitors travelling from all over the states to participate. Not just to source new products, but also participate in the hotly anticipated conference and the support events such as the EDUTours and Learning Lunches.

© Fabbri group