Convention and Trade Show Management
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 5,700 convention and trade show management services in the US charge fees to plan, organize, promote, and manage a variety of events, including business shows, trade shows, conventions, conferences, and meetings. General Service Contractors (GSC), which coordinate the set-up and tear-down of trade shows, generate the majority of revenue and profits from material handling fees charged to exhibitors.
Competition from Digital Communications
Conventions and trade shows compete with alternative and more flexible forms of communication, such as video conferences, webinars, and other digital vehicles.
Uneven Cash Flow
Demand for convention and trade show organization services varies throughout the year, and depends on the frequency, timing, and location of events.
Industry size & Structure
The average convention and trade show management services provider works out of a single location, employs fewer than 5 workers, and generates $3 million annually.
- The convention and trade show management services industry consists of about 5,700 firms that employ about 53,000 workers and generate about $17 billion annually.
- The industry is concentrated at the top and fragmented at the bottom; the top 50 companies account for about 48% of industry revenue.
- Large companies include Freeman and Viad Corporation. Large firms may have international operations.
Industry Forecast
Convention and Trade Show Management Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Jan 8, 2025 - B2B Exhibitions Industry Returns to Growth
- The B2B exhibitions industry regained some ground in the third quarter of 2024 after a minor slowdown in Q2, according to a December report by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR). The CEIR Total Index reached 88.8 in Q3 2023, up from 87.7 in Q2. However, exhibitions are still well below pre-pandemic levels by all major metrics. Compared to 2019, net square feet of exhibitions was down 2.7% in Q3 2024. The number of exhibitors was off by 7%, and attendees were 17.8% lower. Third-quarter exhibition revenue was 16% below the 2019 pre-pandemic baseline. Although the labor market remains strong and inflation has moderated, high prices persist and could continue to weigh on the exhibitions industry in 2025. Each quarter, the CEIR Total Index is a reading that measures the exhibition industry’s performance compared to the 2019 baseline of 100.
- A recent survey of event and exhibit marketers suggests that rising costs contribute to reduced event budgets. The report by The Exhibitor Advocate and EVOLIO Marketing showed that 88% of exhibit marketers surveyed said budget management was their top challenge. About 82% of respondents said show services costs were the leading driver of budget management challenges. More than half (57%) of those surveyed said they expect exhibit budgets to remain flat in 2025, and 18% predict budget cuts. To offset higher costs, exhibitors are reducing booth sizes and sponsorship spending and participating in fewer shows.
- Business-event planning professionals expect meetings budgets to increase in 2025, according to a recent forecast by Amex GBT Meetings & Events. About 70% of meetings professionals in North America expect spending on meetings to rise in 2025 – 63% think spending will increase, while 7% anticipate a significant increase in spending. The biggest challenges business-event professionals expect to face in 2025 include location availability (43% of respondents), cost (40%), and budget cuts (36%). More than two-thirds of respondents based in North America expect in-person events to be the dominant meeting format in 2025, although some may respond to inflationary or budgeting pressures by having more virtual meetings or changing the destination or lodging arrangements. Artificial intelligence (AI) and mobile apps are the top technology tools meetings pros plan to leverage in 2025, led by AI-powered matchmaking for attendees and sponsors (42% of respondents), content creation (41%), and generating creative themes (40%).
- In late September, event software firm CompuSystems took its systems offline in response to a cybersecurity incident, according to Meetingsnet.com. The service interruption affected registration activity for two major trade shows scheduled for November, including SEMA (the Special Equipment Marketing Association) and AAPEX (the Aftermarket Automotive Parts Exhibition), as well as the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show in December. CompuSystems said the cybersecurity incident affected a limited number of its systems but added that the firm took relevant systems offline to protect customer data. In response to the disruption, SEMA pushed back the date for a planned registration fee increase, and AAPEX also extended its discounted registration period. The incident briefly interrupted registration for the PRI show.
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