Probably the most important measure of the value of the show is the number of attending retailers, and those results were mixed. The number of unique retail stores was up a few percent, from 391 in 2017 to 405 in 2018, while the number of retailer badges was down over 10%, from 784 in 2017 to 686 this year. Why were stores bringing fewer people per store? We suspect location and the associated airfares could have been factors. With Reno a less attractive destination generally than Las Vegas, the number of people who wanted to come for reasons other than the show may have dropped. And with significantly higher airfares to Reno than Las Vegas, those second tickets cost more than in past years.
Exhibitors were up from 145 in 2017 to 158 in 2018, leading to the maxed out exhibit hall in the first year in this location. Total attendance was up slightly, from 1684 in 2017 to 1696 in 2018.
While numbers may have been near flat, overall engagement seemed up to us, and to GAMA. "The quality of engagement from retailers was much higher than we have experienced in the past," GAMA Board President Stephen Brissaud said of the show. As we’ve previously noted, the improvement in facility (the Peppermill in Reno was a big step up from Bally’s in Las Vegas), along with the much smaller number of nearby hotels and attractions, kept more of the attendees and exhibitors in the hotel, making for a clubbier feel and more opportunities for interaction.