Economics

Trade Shows Tiptoe Back to Life With Attendance Still Down 40%

Conventions are returning in person across the U.S. after a two-year interlude. This year is ‘critical’ for many trade groups.

Attendees at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, on March 22. 

Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
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Despite some awkward moments — elbow bumps, and reluctant handshakes — the U.S. industry convention is slowing coming back.

That’s not a moment too soon for a sector whose survival was far from certain a couple of years ago and that is vital to the full recovery of two key industries: hotels and airlines.