NRA Show 2013 Sees Strong Post-Recession Gain in Attendee and Exhibitor Numbers

Just a glance at the numbers makes it clear: It was a good year to make the trek to Chicago’s McCormick Place for the 94^th annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show and 6^th annual International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event. The May 18-21 show posted a second year of positive growth in both attendee and exhibitor numbers, attracting more than 62,500 registrants from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.

Growth was particularly strong in the Lodging category, which saw the largest increase in registrants by more than 10%; registrations in the Restaurant/Foodservice, Retail and Press categories also experienced growth.

On the exhibitor side, the most substantial sign of growth was demonstrated by the opening of a third exhibit floor in the North Hall, which housed more than 400 exhibitors and was a hotbed for innovative products from both up-and-coming and well-known exhibitors. With the additional third hall, exhibit space totaled more than 579,000 sq. ft., a nearly 7% increase over 2012, with more than 2,100 exhibiting companies, nearly 40% of which were new.