Big business
Las Vegas has long been the home of US conventions. While attendance has been deflated since the pandemic, the numbers are starting to recover.
about 1.23 million people will attend 48 conventions at its facility in 2026
The Las Vegas Convention Center predicts that about 1.23 million people will go to 48 conventions at its facility in 2026, which would be a post-pandemic record. That’s one fewer show than in 2025, but the expected attendance is 16% higher than last year’s 1.06 million total.
Citywide convention figures for the first 11 months of 2025 were 0.6% lower year-on-year at 5.68 million. Overall visitor numbers to the city fell 7.4% for the same period, as tourists stayed away for various reasons, including the cost-of-living crisis and President Trump’s controversial tariff policy.
CES kicks off the year
First up on the calendar is the annual global technology show, CES. The main event runs from Tuesday through Friday and is spread across a dozen main locations, including the Convention Center and several Strip casinos.
2020 attendance, just before the onset of the pandemic, was 171,268
CES tends to be the biggest trade show in Nevada every year. In 2025, more than 140,000 people attended, including about 40% of individuals visiting from overseas. The 2020 attendance, just before the onset of the pandemic, was 171,268. More than 4,000 exhibitors will feature at this year’s event, covering everything from AI to the latest pieces of hardware.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on Monday in the Convention Center’s renovated Central Hall to kick off this year’s renewal. This is the first trade show to benefit from the $600m in work completed on the Central Hall. Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) CEO and President Steve Hill remarked that the facility is now the “greatest” of its kind in the country.
CES is also a big driver of the local economy. Decades since it was first held in 1978, the show now generates about $500m in direct spending across the entire week.
An important piece of the puzzle
Conventions are a big business in Las Vegas. LVCVA Board of Directors Chairperson and Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson highlighted that people visiting for these events in 2024 spent $10bn. This helped support 46,000 jobs, resulting in $2.7bn in payment to workers.
important in helping to occupy the region’s 150,000 hotel rooms from Sunday through Thursday
LVCVA CEO and President Steve Hill remarked that these types of events are especially important in helping to occupy the region’s 150,000 hotel rooms from Sunday through Thursday.
New shows are coming to the city in 2026, including McDonald’s Worldwide, which will attract 15,000 of the fast food chain’s leadership, partners, suppliers, and franchisees.
