Expo City

What Expo City does

Expo City is a privately held, global B2B and B2C experiential marketing and exhibition platform developed and led by Chairman & CEO Shawn Samson, with Oaktree Capital as its global financial partner. The company is in pre-development, planning a 10 million square foot integrated campus on 30 acres of the Las Vegas Strip as part of Wynn Resorts' Paradise Park master plan, with groundbreaking slated for 2026 and Phase 1 opening targeted for 2028, followed by Phases 2 and 3 in 2030 and 2032.

The platform's product surface spans multiple integrated space types: the Expo Coliseum and Halls (over 2 million square feet of flexible exhibition space), Expo Showcases (more than 400,000 square feet of permanent brand marketing spaces), Expo Showrooms (more than 1.6 million square feet of customizable industry-clustered showrooms), Corporate Pavilions (800,000 square feet for high-touch brand experiences), Hospitality Suites (100,000 square feet), Meeting Suites (200,000 square feet with digital scheduling), and Corporate Residences (1,000+ square feet each, available for whole or fractional ownership). Underlying these physical assets is a modular digital infrastructure featuring an AR locator tied to a digital map, a digital space assignment system, and a digital scheduling and payment system designed to enable seamless physical-plus-digital experiences. A companion iOS mobile app is live, with an Android version forthcoming.

The business model is a recurring, multi-year custom leasing operation targeting two primary segments: global trade show organizers needing flexible exhibition and convention capacity, and global brands seeking permanent showroom and brand experience space. Revenue is generated through bespoke lease packages (whole or fractional ownership options, with sublease rights when not in corporate use), supplemented by professional services covering custom exhibit and experience design, showroom construction, conference and event planning, and travel and accommodation coordination. Pricing is entirely quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is driven by a dedicated enterprise leasing team, supplemented by the biannual Creative Economy Forum, the annual Physical + Digital Marketing Forum, downloadable thought-leadership materials, and the mobile app. Beyond Las Vegas, Expo City has announced parallel platform development in Dubai (launch site), Shanghai and Yokohama (planning), and New York and Miami (site selection).

Name

Expo City

Legal name

Expo City

Website

https://expocity.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Expo City is a privately held global B2B and B2C experiential marketing platform in pre-development, planning a 10 million square foot integrated exhibition and showroom campus in Las Vegas with global expansion, backed by Oaktree Capital.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Exhibition and Convention Facilities

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers) (THAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hotel & Resort Convention Venues (Convention Hotels) (THAHAAAC), General Consumer Expos & Trade Shows (MPAGAFAA), Fairgrounds & Expo Parks (THAHAAAH)

Keywords

• Exhibition space leasing
• Experiential marketing venues
• Permanent trade showrooms
• Convention facility services
• Corporate hospitality suites

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Exhibition and Showroom Leasing: Expo City generates revenue primarily through leasing of exhibition space, permanent showrooms, corporate pavilions, hospitality suites, meeting suites, and corporate residences to global brands, show organizers, and companies. Long-term leasing packages are customized to fit company needs. Spaces are available for whole or fractional ownership and can be leased to other visitors when not in corporate use.
2. Professional Services: Expo City offers a full range of services including custom exhibit and experience design, showroom and exhibit construction, conference and event planning, and travel and accommodations coordination. These services increase the reach and impact of exhibition and live marketing investments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Expo City develops and operates an integrated 10 million square foot experiential marketing and exhibition platform in Las Vegas. The company leases exhibition halls, permanent showrooms, corporate pavilions, hospitality suites, meeting suites, and corporate residences to global brands, show organizers, and companies under customized long-term agreements. It augments these physical spaces with modular digital infrastructure (AR locator, digital space assignment, digital scheduling) and provides supporting services including custom exhibit design, showroom construction, conference and event planning, and travel/accommodation coordination.

Product overview

Expo City is an integrated B2B/B2C experiential marketing and live marketing platform spanning 10 million square feet in Las Vegas. The platform is built around the core physical infrastructure of Expo Coliseum & Halls (2+ million sq ft of flexible exhibition space), Expo Showcases (400,000+ sq ft of premium permanent brand spaces), and Expo Showrooms (1.6 million sq ft of customizable permanent showrooms). These are supported by Corporate Pavilions, Hospitality Suites, Meeting Suites, and Corporate Residences for year-round use. The platform is augmented by digitally-enabled infrastructure with AR locators and digital space assignment systems, plus a mobile app for iOS with Android pending. Add-on services include Custom Exhibit & Experience Design, Showroom & Exhibit Construction, Conference & Event Planning, and Travel & Accommodations. The company is expanding globally with planned locations in Shanghai, Dubai, New York, and Miami.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Expo Coliseum & Halls A state-of-the-art, flexible exhibition and convention facility comprising over 2 million square feet of world-class exhibition space for global show organizers, designed to maximize simultaneous access to the show floor for easy load in and load out.
• Expo Showcases More than 400,000 square feet of premium permanent spaces for brands to create brand marketing experiences, bringing existing products together with emerging technology in an innovative mix that creates continuous business development and measurable brand engagement.
• Expo Showrooms More than 1,600,000 square feet of permanent customizable showroom space organized in industry clusters, allowing brands to invest in on-brand design without traditional trade show setup costs.
• Corporate Pavilions 800,000 square feet of large-scale, permanent spaces providing global brands and exhibitors a blank canvas for creating exclusive, high-touch experiences for premium buyers, clients, customers, and team members year-round.
• Hospitality Suites 100,000 square feet of multi-purpose luxury suites with full catering kitchens, located on the same floors as Corporate Pavilions, providing private space for premium brands to entertain clients with stunning views.
• Meeting Suites 200,000 square feet of fully connected, on-demand meeting suites with business-grade connectivity, digital scheduling and payment system, and automated provisioning of in-room technology.
• Corporate Residences Luxury corporate accommodations at 1,000+ square feet, located on top of Expo City exhibition facilities, complete with kitchen, dining room, and butler service access. Available for whole or fractional ownership.
• Custom Exhibit & Experience Design

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 million annual business and tourist visitors to Las Vegas as potential audience
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wynn ResortscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpo City Las Vegas is part of Wynn Resorts' Paradise Park master plan. Wynn guest services are on call to provide staff and support for hospitality suites and corporate residences. Expo City is connected to Wynn lagoon views and is designed in partnership with Wynn's hospitality infrastructure.
• World Market Center (WMC)minorOthersWorld Market Center was co-founded and co-developed by Shawn Samson in Las Vegas in 2005. At 5.5+ million square feet of B2B showrooms for home furnishings, home décor, and gift industries, it is the largest trade show venue in Las Vegas. It provided the precedent for Expo City's development.
• International Market Centers (IMC)minorOthersInternational Market Centers was co-founded by Shawn Samson in 2011, combining WMC properties with showrooms in High Point, NC. At 12 million combined square feet, it is the largest trade show platform in the U.S. for the home furnishings industry. It provided industry precedent for Expo City's platform model.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Wynn Resorts: Wynn Resorts is Expo City's strategic co-development partner — Expo City Las Vegas sits within Wynn's Paradise Park master plan, with Wynn hospitality services supporting suites and residences. While not a competitor, Wynn is the ecosystem partner whose execution directly enables Expo City's positioning on the Strip.

Direct peers

• International Market Centers (IMC): IMC was co-founded by Expo City CEO Shawn Samson with Oaktree and Bain Capital; it operates 12M sq ft of B2B showroom space across Las Vegas and High Point, NC — the same founder-PE combination and same showroom/exhibition business model that Expo City extends. Sold to Blackstone in 2017, IMC is the closest comparable to Expo City's integrated showroom/exhibition platform.
• Dubai World Trade Centre: DWTC operates a large integrated convention, exhibition, and event complex in Dubai — Expo City's planned second launch location. Both offer multi-purpose exhibition halls, hospitality, and event services for global brands and trade show organizers in a single integrated campus.
• McCormick Place: McCormick Place is the largest convention center in North America (~2.6M sq ft of exhibition space) in Chicago, serving global trade show organizers and corporate exhibitors. It is directly comparable to Expo City's Expo Coliseum in scale and target customer (large-scale exhibition organizers).
• Orange County Convention Center: The Orange County Convention Center is one of the largest US convention venues (~2.1M sq ft) in Orlando, hosting major trade shows across multiple verticals. Comparable to Expo City as a Tier-1 US convention center targeting global show organizers and brand exhibitors.
• World Market Center Las Vegas: WMC is a 5.5M sq ft Las Vegas B2B trade show venue co-founded by Shawn Samson in 2005; it now operates within IMC under Blackstone ownership. WMC is the direct industry precedent and architectural blueprint for Expo City's B2B showroom cluster model.
• Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA / Las Vegas Convention Center): The Las Vegas Convention Center is Expo City's most direct competitor — it sits directly across Paradise Road, hosts 50+ major trade shows annually, and serves the same global organizer and brand customer base that Expo City targets. Both operate convention/exhibition venues on the Las Vegas Strip.

Regional players

• ExCeL London: ExCeL London is a major UK convention/exhibition venue hosting ~400 events annually across trade shows, conferences, and corporate events. Comparable as a regional convention center competitor in the broader global exhibition venue landscape, though it does not directly compete with Expo City in Las Vegas.

Broad incumbents

• RX Global (Reed Exhibitions): RX (Reed Exhibitions) organizes ~300 B2B exhibitions across 40+ countries and is one of the largest global trade show operators. Comparable to Expo City as a broad incumbent in exhibitions/events that serves the same global organizer and exhibitor customer base.
• Informa Markets: Informa Markets is the world's largest exhibitions organizer, running 200+ B2B trade shows and operating event venues globally. It is comparable as a broad incumbent that both organizes exhibitions and connects global brands with buyers — the same value chain Expo City targets via its integrated venue platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/expo-universe-holdings

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Expo City