Check the Internet for free offers. One local website SaveLV.com lists free or discount prices available to some of the largest conventions in Las Vegas. Posts in 2010 and 2011 include free passes to the Consumer Electronics Show, the largest electronics trade show in the world, as well as free admission to the Global Gaming Expo and Home Expo Las Vegas.
Contact the show's sponsoring organization to ask if it is offering free admission. Request a guest pass citing your interest in the topic. Offer to volunteer at the show if necessary.
Find a list of exhibitors at the show you want to attend. Many companies exhibiting at conventions offer free admission if you visit the company's booth. You can usually find an exhibitor list on the convention's sponsoring organization's website. Since there may be hundreds or thousands of exhibitors, to narrow down your search, ask the show organizer if any companies are offering free admission.
Check websites like Craigslist for passes or work offers. Sometimes a convention is seeking a crowd for a specific event or it needs audience members. The biannual MAGIC Show (Men's Apparel Guild in California) holds several fashion shows during its run, and the Shoe Show advertises for shoe models to walk around the convention wearing the latest shoe creations.
Work the reception desk. Check temp agencies that staff the convention center. You could work the registration desk or do other clerical jobs needed at the show of your choice. Installation and dismantling of booths is done by skilled workers.
Blog or report on the show. Contact a news organization or online publication asking if you can cover the convention. If you're willing to write about the show, see if there is any interest in your reporting. The assigning editor should be able to get you a press pass. Reporters or bloggers can generally get into most events for free. If photography is allowed on the show floor, you could also shoot photos to go with your report.
