Chicago falls to 3rd in U.S. convention industry

Crain's Chicago Business reports:

Las Vegas has strengthened its claim as the king of convention cities, hosting a record number of the largest trade shows in 2005, new industry rankings released Wednesday show.

And Chicago, the U.S. convention capital for decades until it was dethroned in the 1990s, has tumbled into third place behind Orlando for the first time. Looming as the next threat to overtake it, convention industry experts say, is fourth-place New York.

The latest annual rankings by Tradeshow Week magazine come amid intense competition among cities for a bigger share of the lucrative convention business. Both Las Vegas and Orlando, which landed 44 and 26 of the 200 largest trade shows last year, respectively, have doubled their exhibit space in recent years, improving their ability to attract events and gain bookings.

They also reflect Las Vegas' phenomenal growth and evolution into a world-class city, according to Tradeshow Week publisher Adam Schaffer, confirming that "the Sin City stigma is largely gone."

I guess not everyone wants to pay Chicago union types $444 an hour in overtime pay.