Recovery or not, there is some good news trickling out of the trade show industry. Among the latest is Nielsen Expositions' ASD Show, which concluded August 11. The event, which targets the merchandise and retail markets, ended with attendance gains, particularly from Mexico, Central and South America, and 300 new exhibitors. Much of this success is attributed to a more robust marketing effort to international regions.

According to Nielsen Expositions, ASD attracted 45,000 attendees from 88 countries. The 13 percent attendance gain is the result of targeted outreach to Latin America. "We hired a Spanish-speaking marketing professional and increased our outreach to the Latin American audience this year," Lori Higgins, Nielsen Expositions' director of marketing, tells EXPO. "We now have a better understanding of this market. We also attribute these results to this market's need for new product sources outside of their region."

There were just over 3,000 exhibitors and the company reports that 10 percent of them were new. This, says Higgins, is a result of a combination of the show's 50-year foothold in the market along with the evolving ways retailers are sourcing their merchandise. "Our show proves that, despite the economic outlook, the retail industry is continuing to evolve and retailers are constantly looking for ways to source new products," she says. "As additional proof, we've experienced 50 percent growth in international exhibitors."

New to the Las Vegas event was a partnership with retail blogger Nicole Leinbach-Reyhle, who authors the Retail Minded blog. According to Higgins, Leinbach-Reyhle's posts extended the show's reach to a broader community of retail professionals. "She was on site with us and had her own dedicated blogging area where she reported on trends and findings from the show floor," says Higgins. "Working with Nicole helped expose our show to new audiences and increased our awareness among social media outlets."