Calendar
Trade Show Calendar 2026: Major Shows by Month
The major US trade shows for 2026, organized by month — when to plan, when to book travel, and which shows tend to overlap.
Most major US shows cluster into six high-density months: January, March, April, June, October, November. February and August are the quiet months. Here's the year laid out.
The 2026 rhythm
Density of major US trade shows by month. Live show data: see the full calendar.
Q1 — heavy on tech and outdoors
January
- CES (Las Vegas) — the year-opening tech showcase. Book hotels in October.
- SHOT Show (Las Vegas) — outdoor / shooting sports, 60K+ attendees, immediately after CES.
- NRF Big Show (New York) — retail tech and operations.
- PGA Show (Orlando) — golf industry.
February
Lightest month. Some regional and consumer expos. The good time for catching up after Q1 chaos and planning Q2.
March
- NAB Show dates (April; trade press coverage starts in March)
- HIMSS (varies, usually March/April) — health information tech.
- Game Developers Conference (San Francisco) — gaming industry.
- SXSW (Austin) — film, music, interactive.
Q2 — broadcast, medical, food
April
- NAB Show (Las Vegas) — broadcast and media tech.
- RSA Conference (San Francisco) — cybersecurity.
- AACR Annual Meeting — cancer research.
May
- RSA if it slips, otherwise mid-tier industry shows.
- Consumer goods, packaging, and ag shows kick into gear.
June
- Summer Fancy Food Show (New York) — specialty food and beverage.
- InfoComm — pro AV.
- BIO International Convention — biotech.
- FIME (Miami Beach) — medical devices for the Americas.
Q3 — the quiet stretch (mostly)
July / August
Genuinely quiet months for major shows. A few outdoor and recreation shows (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market mid-August), but most industries are on summer pause. Good time for internal events, training, and prep for Q4.
September
- Print, packaging, and labels shows resume.
- IBC (Amsterdam) — broadcast/media (international counterpart to NAB).
- NEXION/CONEXION (Orlando) — trucking and aftermarket.
Q4 — the heavy hitters
October
- Greenbuild — sustainable construction.
- The Experience Conference & Exhibition — plumbing/HVAC.
- Specialty Coffee Expo dates vary — coffee industry.
- ABA / Winter Institute — bookselling.
November
- AAPEX (Las Vegas) — automotive aftermarket. Often back-to-back with SEMA.
- SEMA (Las Vegas) — specialty automotive equipment.
- Greenbuild if October-late shifts here.
- Industry retrospective conferences begin.
December
Light. Some regional shows, year-end industry conferences. Most teams are heads-down on holiday business and Q1 prep.
Show overlaps to know about
Some weeks see major events stack up. Plan accordingly:
- CES + SHOT Show in January: back-to-back weeks in Las Vegas. If you're in two industries, you can stay for both — but hotels are double-booked.
- NAB + RSA in April: often the same week. Las Vegas and San Francisco respectively.
- AAPEX + SEMA in November: intentional. Both in Vegas, same week, with shared shuttle infrastructure. Auto industry pros often do both.
How to plan your year
- Pick 2–4 must-attend shows in your industry. Not 8 — quality over quantity.
- Lock travel 6+ months out for January and November shows; rates and hotels move first for those.
- Schedule customer meetings 30 days before each show, not the week of.
- Block calendar buffer — recovery week after each major show, prep week before.
For the live calendar with current dates and venues, use the full calendar view. To find shows specific to your industry, browse all tradeshows by industry. Heading to Las Vegas? See Las Vegas tradeshows for the 2026 lineup.