The Food Marketing Institute and NCTA-The Internet and Television Association announced Wednesday they were ending their annual trade shows, with both citing a desire to focus on smaller events rather than a single large show.

The separate announcements mean two of the nation's larger association trade shows are coming to a sudden end, with both organizations saying 2016 would be the last year for their events. NCTA's last annual INTX conference was held in Las Vegas in April. FMI's annual show—FMI Connect—was last held at Chicago's McCormick Place in June.

"We are now exploring new and better ways to tell our story, to gather our community, to advance our growth and present our vision of the future," NCTA CEO Michael Powell said in a statement. "We believe large trade show floors, dotted with exhibit booths and stilted schedules have become an anachronism."

FMI CEO Leslie Sarasin made a similar argument in a statement spelling out the reasons her association decided to cancel FMI Connect.

"With the elimination of having to fill football fields' worth of space as ‘The Show' configuration required, FMI will be liberated to explore new, focused and more flexible events," she said.

Neither group said whether closing down the shows would lead to staff layoffs at their organizations. They also didn't say what events would replace the annual conferences.

The closure of FMI Connect is complicated by the fact the association co-located its event with trade shows held by the United Fresh Produce Association, the Global Cold Chain Alliance and a floral industry event produced by Diversified Communications, a communications and events company. United Fresh CEO Tom Stenzel issued a statement saying his group's event would go on without FMI Connect.

"We're looking forward to hosting United Fresh 2017, June 13-15, at McCormick Place in Chicago with our show partners the International Floriculture Expo and the Global Cold Chain Expo." Stenzel said. "Together, our shows attracted 7,500 attendees and featured 650 exhibitors this past June and we anticipate significant growth in 2017."

GCCA Vice President Megan Costello told CEO Update that FMI's decision wouldn't affect any immediate plans for her association's own event. There wasn't much overlap in attendance, although GCCA viewed FMI Connect as a way to draw more attention to its own show, she explained.

FMI and NCTA are not the only large associations to announce this year they would end their trade shows. CTIA-The Wireless Association said in June it was ending its annual Super Mobility event and instead partnering with a European association to bring one of that group's international trade shows to North America.

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