The Largest Las Vegas Conventions Updated for 2022
Conventions are big business in Las Vegas, but the truth is they can really muck things up for Tourists. Hundreds of thousands of people descend on the City all at once, clogging up the highways, filling the Casinos, and Block booking hotels driving up the prices. The Largest Las Vegas Conventions are in town it can be a real nightmare!
The best advice we can give is to avoid the Biggest Las Vegas Conventions. You are unlikely to be able to avoid every convention as there are hundreds throughout the Year. The Smaller events are no big deal. They may send the prices of the partaking hotel through the roof, but their impact on the Strip as a whole is minimal.
To help you avoid the worst of them we list the Big one’s month by month below, pointing out the danger zones and when to avoid. We also list the most up-to-date information on the exact dates of the upcoming conventions so you can plan to be somewhere else!
While we list the EXACT dates of the Conventions the disruption caused, especially by the Biggest will extend a few days either side as people arrive, set up the Stands, and extend their work Jolly a few days to have some fun in the City.
COVID-19
Covid has had a devastating effect on the Convention industry (like many others) Most of last year’s big events were simply canceled. Many of the next years have been either shelved, Postponed, or moved “online”. While this is bad news for the industry, it’s good news for Tourists. Vegas has been pretty much deserted all year, so Conferences are really not a big concern right now, but we are still trying to keep you updated on all your future planning needs!
As of 2022 most things are back to normal even the rescheduled shows are resuming normal scheduling for the year and digital shows are moving back into the Conference Spaces. Fingers crossed for a “normal” ish year, but this is COVID!
Full Up-To-Date list of ALL Las Vegas Conventions – Las Vegas Means Business
January
- Convention Attendees – 683,400
- CES – 180,000+
- SHOT – 60,000
- Las Vegas Market – 50,000+
- Rating – BUSY!
January does not start well. CES is the Biggest of ALL Las Vegas Conventions and 180,000 People descend on the Strip. Taking place in the Las Vegas Convention Center The off-strip location does pull a few of the attendees away from the Strip, but not many. Hot on the heels of this is SHOT a smaller but still fairly large Convention along with the winter Market show. This starts a run that continues right into February.
Jan and Feb are Low seasons for tourist visitors so the Hotels encourage large conventions to try and bridge the gap. So there are lots of big Conventions to miss. But if you can avoid these then your trip should be pretty quiet and you should be able to bag some big discounts on hotels. The low occupancy between the Conventions means the $20 trick success rate will also improve!
CES – Consumer Electronics Show
- Las Vegas Convention Center
- 180,000
The world’s premier Tech show. CES is big business and the influx of Conventions goers along with the world’s Technology Press grinds the City to a standstill. Avoid if at all possible. For 2021 this is to be held online and not in Las Vegas, expect a return for 2022 and beyond…Fingers Crossed.
- Jan 11-14 2021 (Monday – Thursday) – All-Digital
- Jan 5-8, 2022 (Wednesday-Saturday)
- Jan 5-8, 2023 (Sunday-Wednesday)
- Jan 9-12, 2024 (Tuesday-Friday)
SHOT – Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade
- Sands Convention Center and Caesars Forum
- 60,000
Big Convention for Shooting and Hunting Retailers and suppliers. The Convention is centrally located and can affect the surrounding hotels, especially caesars quite a bit. You will definitely see prices spike in and around this part of the strip, however, if you say away from Caesars then there should be less impact!
- Jan 19-22, 2021 (Tuesday – Friday) – Cancelled
- Jan 18-21, 2022 (Tuesday – Friday)
- Jan 17-20, 2023 (Tuesday – Friday)
Las Vegas Market – Winter
- World Market Center Las Vegas
- 50,000
Large Fixtures and Fittings show at the World Market Expo Center. This is situated Downtown and does not impact the City as much as other Conventions.
- Jan 24-28, 2021 (Sunday – Thursday)
- Jan 23-27, 2022 (Sunday – Thursday)
- Jan 29-Feb 2, 2023 (Sunday – Thursday)
February
- Convention Attendees – 748,600
- Magic – 80,000+
- International Builders Show – 60,000+
- World Of Concrete – 55,000+
- Rating – BUSY!
Feb is a huge month for conventions. It has easily the biggest overall numbers along with several really big shows hitting the town. On top of this, there are many smaller Conventions that when hit together can really mess the town up.
MAGIC Las Vegas
- Las Vegas Convention Center
- 80,000
Fans of Magic will be terribly disappointed with the MAGIC Show. Mainly as it is a huge Fashion show. This is one of the biggest Fashion Conventions and can have a significant effect on the strip. As with most Events this size, it happens in the huge Las Vegas Convention Center.
- 2022 14-17th February – Las Vegas Convention Center
International Builders Show
- Las Vegas Convention Center
- 60,000
This Giant Builders show alternates between Vegas and Orlando. 2021 was scheduled to be Vegas but has moved online and 2022 is set for Orlando so it’s not until 2023 we need to worry about this one.
- Feb 9-12, 2021 (Tuesday – Friday) – Virtual
- Feb 8-10, 2022 (Tuesday – Thursday) – Orlando
- Jan 31-Feb 02, 2023 (Tuesday – Thursday)
- Feb 27-29, 2024 (Tuesday – Thursday)
World Of Concrete
- Las Vegas Convention Center
- 60,000
Hard to believe this one is SO popular, I bet you didn’t even know there were concrete conventions! But a heck of a lot of this stuff is used in the building industry and there are constant developments and besides, it is more of a general Construction Conference than pure concrete. It’s another Biggy and capable of bringing severe disruption and price hikes to the Las Vegas Strip.
Note: 2021 is scheduled for June, but we haven’t got it in the wrong section, it’s just moved due to the Pandemic, this is a traditional February Event so it stays here (even though 2022 and 2023 is Jan!)
- June 8-10, 2021 (Tuesday – Thursday) (Re-Scheduled)
- Jan 18-21, 2022 (Tuesday – Thursday)
- Jan 17-19, 2023 (Tuesday – Thursday) (we think we may need to move this…)
March
- Convention Attendees – 552,200
- CONEXPO-CON/AGG – 130,000+
- Rating – Varied!
In March the Convention Numbers start to dip down, which is fortunate as March is a mini Peak season for tourists and general visitor numbers soar. The big one to look out for is CONEXPO. This is the 3rd Biggest Convention in Las Vegas and can wreak havoc on the Strip. However, it is only held every 3 years meaning 2023 is the next event. When CONEXPO is not on, March is a quieter month. There are still a lot of smaller conventions going on but nothing to get too worried about. Spring Break on the other hand!
CONEXPO-CON/AGG
- Las Vegas Convention Center
- 130,000
This mega convention floods the Strip with over 130,000 excess visitors that fill up the hotels, clogs the roads, and generally cause mayhem. Only happens every three years but avoid like the plague.
- March 14-18, 2023 (Tuesday-Saturday)
- 2026
April
- Convention Attendees – 529,500
- NAB – 100,000+
- Rating – Moderate!
Another minimal month with plenty of small conventions but only one to really worry about and it’s a biggy. The NAB is a huge get-together of Broadcasters and is a bit of a party Convention. These guys all have plenty of money to spend and like to hit the Casino after spending their fays working the Convention Halls! Avoid this and you should find a pleasant and reasonably quiet Las Vegas
National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)
- Las Vegas Convention Center
- 100,000+
The NABShow is the 4th biggest in Las Vegas and you can expect hotel prices to skyrocket and bars and restaurants to be packed. The show is often used for big announcements and technology demonstrations and attracts big names from the showbiz world.
Another Convention that has been Bumped to make our listing look bad! We Promise it’s meant to be in April and is back in April for 2022,
- Oct 9-13, 2021 (Saturday-Wednesday)
- April 23 – 27, 2022
- April TBD – 2023
May
- Convention Attendees – 520,800
- Rating – Quiet!
May is one of Las Vegas’s Busiest months, and millions flock to the City as the weather really heats up. However as far as conventions go things really ease up. There are no BIG Conventions in may and while there are many smaller ones going on throughout the month these will have little impact on the City
Other Events and Holidays will have a big effect so check here to see what is going on in May.
And keep an eye out as Conventions are constantly being rescheduled due to Coronavirus and biggy may pop up in May at any time!
June
- Convention Attendees – 514,000
- World of Concrete – 60,000
- Rating – Moderate!
June is traditionally a very quiet month. There are no big events on but several smaller conventions take place attracting 20-30,000 attendees. Most of these are not worth worrying about. But they help keep up the overall attendance numbers
July
- Convention Attendees – 498,800
- Las Vegas Market – 50,000+
- Rating – Quiet!
As the Las Vegas Summer sizzles on, the Convention Market slows down. Vegas is very Busy during this period but on the whole only smaller conventions take place. The Exception being the second Las Vegas Market, this can have a moderate impact on hotel prices, especially Downtown.
Las Vegas Market – Summer
- World Market Center Las Vegas
- 50,000
The Second Large Fixtures and Fittings show of the year at the World Market Expo Center. This is situated Downtown and does not impact the City as much as other Conventions.
- July 25-29, 2021 (Sunday – Thursday)
- July 24-28, 2022 (Sunday – Thursday)
- July 30-Aug 3, 2023 (Sunday – Thursday)
August
- Convention Attendees – 657,800
- Magic Las Vegas – 75,000+
- Rating – Moderate!
The Summer season rages on and August actually sees an uptick in Conference Visitors, again these are main;y smaller events but MAGIC returns to the Strip for its Summer Show and this draws nearly as big a crowd as the Winter edition.
MAGIC Las Vegas
- Las Vegas Convention Center
- 75,000
The Second Non-Magical MAGIC Las Vegas Show takes place in August. Only slightly smaller than the winter event this is a large Fashion Convention and can have a significant effect on the strip. As with most Events this size, it happens in the huge Las Vegas Convention Center. The Winter event will be Digital in 2021 but the Summer event is to be decided.
- August 8th – 11th 2022 (Monday – Thursday)
September
- Convention Attendees – 459,400
- Rating – Quiet!
As Summer starts to draw to a close Las Vegas has one of its Quietest months. The Weather is still wonderfully hot and the lack of any big conventions means the month has some great rates and low crowds.
There are many conventions going on throughout the month but they are all small and with the low visitor numbers they are nothing to worry about. At worse, they may spike the odd price in the hotels they are centered in, but you will be sure to find another hotel with great rates on the same dates.
October
- Convention Attendees – 525,300
- Rating – Quiet!
Another quiet month for the Conventions. Very much like September, nothing really big jumps out and overall numbers are from the myriad of smaller events. October does see an explosion of regular visitors though, all eager to catch the las of the Las Vegas Sun, before winter sets in.
But convention wise you are good to go!
November
- Convention Attendees – 603,200
- SEMA – 160,000+
- Rating – BUSY!
November carries on in a Similar Vein to September and October, with lots of small Conventions with minimal impact on the Strip. There is one BIG exception SEMA. The Second Largest Convention in the City, When Sema is in Town, you shouldn’t be!
SEMA – Specialty Equipment Market Association
- World Market Center Las Vegas
- 160,000+
SEMA is probably our favorite Convention held in Vegas, while this article is not written to help you decide or Visit a convention, quite the opposite actually, SEMA is a Brilliant one. Assuming you are into cars that is. Unfortunately, it is Trade-Only and we are not in the Trade. However, the strip fills up with all kinds of exotic machinery during the SEMA Period.
The Truth is SEMA pretty much grinds the City to a halt. Unless you specifically want to come for the Cars then it is definitely best avoided. The second Biggest Convention of the Year has a Major Impact on the City.
- Nov 2-5, 2021 (Tuesday – Friday)
- Nov 1-4, 2022 (Tuesday – Friday)
- Oct 31- Nov 3, 2023 (Tuesday – Friday)
- Nov 5-8, 2024 (Tuesday – Friday)
- Nov 4-7, 2025 (Tuesday – Friday)
- Nov 3-6, 2026 (Tuesday – Friday)
- Nov 2-5, 2027 (Tuesday – Friday)
- Oct 31- Nov 3, 2028 (Tuesday – Friday)
December
- Convention Attendees – 365,700
- Rating – Deserted!
In December it seems most Businesses and most people just have other things on their minds. Convention numbers Plummet and December is easily the least affected month as Far as Conventions go. December in Vegas is the quietest month overall, Apart from the New Years Peak, It is easily the quietest time of the year.
Have Your Say
Let us know your experiences with Conferences in Vegas, have you experienced Price Gouging? Have you been only to find the hotels and streets rammed with conference guests, have yo accidentally visited during SEMA to find the City Awash with hot metal? Let us know your experiences in the Comments Below.