Exhibitor 2026 Statistics (Updated September)

Does exhibiting at trade shows pay off

1. 1

   Japanese firms that attended a trade fair with JETRO support were 9.6 percentage points more likely to export in the following year than similar firms that did not, according to a RIETI discussion paper by Makioka.

   Source: RIETI Discussion Paper 20-E-007 (Makioka), later published in Review of International Economics, 2020 ^[1]

2. 2

   The value of exports rose 25.4% in the year after a Japanese firm attended a trade fair with JETRO support, according to a 2020 RIETI discussion paper by Makioka.

   Source: RIETI Discussion Paper 20-E-007 (Makioka), later published in Review of International Economics, 2020 ^[1]

3. 3

   Among Japanese firms supported by JETRO, attending a trade fair raised the probability of exporting by 8.9 percentage points for small firms, against 4.5 points for large firms, according to a 2020 RIETI discussion paper by Makioka.

   Source: RIETI Discussion Paper 20-E-007 (Makioka), later published in Review of International Economics, 2020 ^[1]

4. 4

   For small Japanese firms, the value of exports rose 42.0% in the year after a JETRO-supported trade fair; for large firms a 2020 RIETI discussion paper by Makioka found no significant effect.

   Source: RIETI Discussion Paper 20-E-007 (Makioka), later published in Review of International Economics, 2020 ^[1]

5. 5

   Firms that exhibited at the Shanghai equipment manufacturing fair made up 3% of the region's firms and research organisations but accounted for 15% of their co-patenting links, according to a 2020 Regional Studies paper by Zhu, Bathelt and Zeng.

   Source: Regional Studies (Zhu, Bathelt and Zeng), 2020 ^[2]

6. 6

   97.5% of companies that exhibit at German trade fairs call them indispensable for dialogue, innovation and business initiation, in AUMA's 2026 Exhibitor Outlook survey of 404 exhibiting companies.

   Source: AUMA Exhibitor Outlook, 2026 ^[3]

7. 7

   Only 25% of shows had a positive exhibitor Net Promoter Score in UFI and Explori's 2017 global study; the average was -17.

   Source: UFI and Explori, Global Exhibitor Insights, 2017 ^[4]

8. 8

   71% of shows with a positive exhibitor NPS were growing their exhibitor numbers, against 32% of shows with a negative score.

   Source: UFI and Explori, Global Exhibitor Insights, 2017 ^[4]

Who exhibits where: ExhibitorLens data

1. 9

   Microsoft exhibits at trade shows in 10 countries in the ExhibitorLens dataset, more than any other company; Schneider Electric, Honeywell and Oracle exhibit in 9.

   Source: ExhibitorLens · exhibitor lists collected August to September 2026 · 587 trade shows in 39 countries, 174,300 companies · method

2. 10

   4.5% of the 174,300 companies exhibiting at the 587 trade shows in the ExhibitorLens dataset (7,762) exhibit in two or more countries.

   Source: ExhibitorLens · exhibitor lists collected August to September 2026 · 174,300 companies · method

3. 11

   868 of the 174,300 companies in the ExhibitorLens dataset (0.5%) exhibit at five or more of its 587 trade shows; 66 exhibit at ten or more.

   Source: ExhibitorLens · exhibitor lists collected August to September 2026 · 174,300 companies, 209,228 exhibitor listings · method

How many exhibitors come back

1. 12

   U.S. B2B shows keep 73% of their exhibiting companies from one edition to the next at smaller events, 78% at midsize events and 69% at the largest, CEIR reports.

   Source: CEIR, organizer performance benchmarks, reported by Exhibit City News, 2026 ^[5]

2. 13

   Exhibit sales make up 60% of U.S. show organizers' gross revenue across event sizes.

   Source: CEIR, organizer performance benchmarks, reported by Exhibit City News, 2026 ^[5]

3. 14

   44.2% of exhibitors at Thessaloniki trade fairs exhibit once a year, in a 2024 survey of 172 exhibitors published in the GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites.

   Source: GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites (Kourkouridis, Frangopoulos and Salepaki), 2024 ^[6]

How much exhibitors spend and on what

1. 15

   U.S. exhibitors spent just over $30 billion in direct expenses in 2024, CEIR estimates.

   Source: CEIR, How the Exhibit Dollar Is Spent, reported by Trade Show Executive, 2026 ^[7]

2. 16

   Exhibit space is the largest item in exhibitor budgets at 40.5% of spending, ahead of staff, show services, exhibit design, graphics and shipping.

   Source: CEIR, How the Exhibit Dollar Is Spent, reported by Trade Show Executive, 2026 ^[7]

3. 17

   Face-to-face exhibitions take 41% of exhibitors' marketing budgets, the largest share at every budget size.

   Source: CEIR, Marketing Spend Decision Report, reported by PCMA, 2026 ^[8]

4. 18

   27% of exhibit marketers said their 2025 trade show budget had increased, in EXHIBITOR magazine's 2025 Economic Outlook Survey.

   Source: EXHIBITOR magazine, 2025 Economic Outlook Survey, 2025 ^[9]

5. 19

   Half of exhibit marketers said their event budget had fully or partly returned to pre-pandemic levels by 2025, in EXHIBITOR magazine's 2025 Economic Outlook Survey.

   Source: EXHIBITOR magazine, 2025 Economic Outlook Survey, 2025 ^[9]

How exhibitors are planning their show programs

1. 20

   47% of U.S. exhibitors in CEIR's late-2025 survey planned to exhibit at the same number of events in 2026 as in 2025, and 28% planned to add shows.

   Source: CEIR, Marketing Spend Decision Report, reported by PCMA, 2026 ^[8]

2. 21

   83% of U.S. exhibitors in CEIR's late-2025 survey planned to keep their booth size the same in 2026.

   Source: CEIR, Marketing Spend Decision Report, reported by PCMA, 2026 ^[8]

3. 22

   30% of U.S. B2B exhibitors in CEIR's 2026 How the Exhibit Dollar Is Spent study plan to refurbish their existing exhibit, 14% to buy a new one and 9% to rent; 52% will keep what they have.

   Source: CEIR, How the Exhibit Dollar Is Spent, reported by Trade Show Executive, 2026 ^[7]

4. 23

   73% of companies that exhibit in Germany plan to keep or increase their number of German trade fairs, in AUMA's 2026 Exhibitor Outlook survey of 404 exhibiting companies.

   Source: AUMA Exhibitor Outlook, 2026 ^[3]

5. 24

   German exhibitors took part in 5.1 trade fairs on average in AUMA's 2026 Exhibitor Outlook survey of 404 companies, down from 5.4 in the previous edition.

   Source: AUMA Exhibitor Outlook, reported by NRW.Global Business, 2026 ^[10]

6. 25

   57% of exhibit marketers said they felt cautious or pessimistic about the U.S. political climate, in EXHIBITOR magazine's 2025 Economic Outlook Survey.

   Source: EXHIBITOR magazine, 2025 Economic Outlook Survey, 2025 ^[9]

7. 26

   More than 90% of exhibit marketers expected their 2025 trade show program to beat 2024, in EXHIBITOR magazine's 2025 Economic Outlook Survey.

   Source: EXHIBITOR magazine, 2025 Economic Outlook Survey, 2025 ^[9]

8. 27

   In a 2024 survey of 172 exhibitors published in the GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 65.1% of exhibitors surveyed in 2024 expect trade fairs to return to a fully physical format; 30.2% expect hybrid events.

   Source: GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites (Kourkouridis, Frangopoulos and Salepaki), 2024 ^[6]

9. 28

   38.4% of exhibitors surveyed in 2024 disagree entirely that virtual exhibitions will replace physical ones, up from 27.1% in 2022, in a 2024 survey of 172 exhibitors published in the GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites.

   Source: GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites (Kourkouridis, Frangopoulos and Salepaki), 2024 ^[6]

10. 29

    50% of exhibitors surveyed in 2024 said the pandemic had no effect on their intention to take part in virtual exhibitions, up from 22.4% in 2022, in a 2024 survey of 172 exhibitors published in the GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites.

    Source: GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites (Kourkouridis, Frangopoulos and Salepaki), 2024 ^[6]

11. 30

    In a 2025 Freeman Trends Report survey, 74% of exhibitors expect WiFi in an all-inclusive exhibitor package, 68% badges, 63% booth space and 50% lead retrieval.

    Source: Freeman Trends Report, reported by Trade Show Executive, 2025 ^[11]

How fast exhibiting costs are rising

1. 31

   Material handling base rates at U.S. shows rose 9.5% in 2025 to an average of $2.28 per pound.

   Source: The Exhibitor Advocate, 2025 Annual Survey of Exhibition Rates, 2026 ^[12]

2. 32

   Material handling base rates in major U.S. exhibition cities have risen 21.3% since 2022, according to The Exhibitor Advocate's annual rate survey.

   Source: The Exhibitor Advocate, 2025 Annual Survey of Exhibition Rates, 2026 ^[12]

3. 33

   Electrical outlet rates in major U.S. exhibition cities rose 18.4% in 2025, one of the largest single-category increases since The Exhibitor Advocate's rate survey began in 2022.

   Source: The Exhibitor Advocate, 2025 Annual Survey of Exhibition Rates, 2026 ^[12]

4. 34

   Electrical overtime labor rates are up 41.2% in The Exhibitor Advocate's survey data; they rose 12.5% in 2025 alone.

   Source: The Exhibitor Advocate, 2025 Annual Survey of Exhibition Rates, 2026 ^[12]

5. 35

   Exhibiting in New York costs about 75% more than in Atlanta for the same basket of show services, according to The Exhibitor Advocate's 2025 Annual Survey of Exhibition Rates.

   Source: The Exhibitor Advocate, 2025 Annual Survey of Exhibition Rates, 2026 ^[12]

6. 36

   Carpet rates rose 12.7% in 2025, rebond padding 21.0% and visqueen covering 22.1%.

   Source: The Exhibitor Advocate, 2025 Annual Survey of Exhibition Rates, 2026 ^[12]

7. 37

   Hanging sign and lift rates fell 15.3% on average in 2025, the largest single-category decline since 2022.

   Source: The Exhibitor Advocate, 2025 Annual Survey of Exhibition Rates, 2026 ^[12]

Do exhibitors follow up on their leads

1. 38

   62% of trade show leads were contacted within five days, EXHIBITOR's 2015 Sales Lead Survey found.

   Source: EXHIBITOR magazine, 2015 Sales Lead Survey, 2015 ^[13]

2. 39

   Only 22% of exhibitors responded to leads within 24 to 48 hours of the show in 2015.

   Source: EXHIBITOR magazine, 2015 Sales Lead Survey, 2015 ^[13]

3. 40

   52% of companies followed up trade show leads by email and 5% by direct mail in 2015.

   Source: EXHIBITOR magazine, 2015 Sales Lead Survey, 2015 ^[13]

4. 41

   69% of exhibit marketers passed every lead to sales without checking whether it was qualified.

   Source: EXHIBITOR magazine, 2015 Sales Lead Survey, 2015 ^[13]

5. 42

   Only 16% of companies kept nurturing trade show prospects until they became clients, in EXHIBITOR magazine's 2015 Sales Lead Survey.

   Source: EXHIBITOR magazine, 2015 Sales Lead Survey, 2015 ^[13]

6. 43

   33% of companies followed up trade show leads by phone in 2015.

   Source: EXHIBITOR magazine, 2015 Sales Lead Survey, 2015 ^[13]

Frequently asked questions

How many companies exhibit at trade shows?

U.S. exhibitors spent just over $30 billion in direct expenses in 2024, CEIR estimates. In Germany, companies take part in 5.1 trade fairs on average, according to AUMA. Across the 587 trade shows in the ExhibitorLens dataset, 174,300 different companies exhibit, and 868 of them exhibit at five or more shows.

Does exhibiting at a trade fair increase exports?

In a study of Japanese firms supported by JETRO, attending a trade fair raised the probability of exporting in the following year by 9.6 percentage points and the value of exports by 25.4%. The effect was larger for small firms (8.9 points) than for large firms (4.5 points).

What share of exhibitors return to the same show?

CEIR reports average exhibitor retention of 73% at smaller U.S. B2B shows, 78% at midsize shows and 69% at the largest.

What do exhibitors spend most of their budget on?

Exhibit space, at 40.5% of exhibitor spending according to CEIR. Staff, show services, exhibit design, graphics and shipping follow. Exhibitions take 41% of exhibitors' marketing budgets.

How fast are exhibiting costs rising?

The Exhibitor Advocate's 2025 survey found material handling base rates up 9.5% in 2025 and 21.3% since 2022, electrical outlet rates up 18.4% in 2025, and a 75% cost gap between New York and Atlanta.

How quickly do exhibitors follow up on leads?

In EXHIBITOR magazine's 2015 Sales Lead Survey, 62% of leads were contacted within five days, but only 22% of exhibitors responded within 24 to 48 hours. 69% passed every lead to sales without qualifying it first.

Sources

1. [1]RIETI Discussion Paper 20-E-007 (Makioka), later published in Review of International Economics. 2020.↑1 ↑2 ↑3 ↑4
2. [2]Regional Studies (Zhu, Bathelt and Zeng). 2020.↑5
3. [3]AUMA Exhibitor Outlook. 2026.↑6 ↑23
4. [4]UFI and Explori, Global Exhibitor Insights. 2017.↑7 ↑8
5. [5]CEIR, organizer performance benchmarks, reported by Exhibit City News. 2026.↑12 ↑13
6. [6]GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites (Kourkouridis, Frangopoulos and Salepaki). 2024.↑14 ↑27 ↑28 ↑29
7. [7]CEIR, How the Exhibit Dollar Is Spent, reported by Trade Show Executive. 2026.↑15 ↑16 ↑22
8. [8]CEIR, Marketing Spend Decision Report, reported by PCMA. 2026.↑17 ↑20 ↑21
9. [9]EXHIBITOR magazine, 2025 Economic Outlook Survey. 2025.↑18 ↑19 ↑25 ↑26
10. [10]AUMA Exhibitor Outlook, reported by NRW.Global Business. 2026.↑24
11. [11]Freeman Trends Report, reported by Trade Show Executive. 2025.↑30
12. [12]The Exhibitor Advocate, 2025 Annual Survey of Exhibition Rates. 2026.↑31 ↑32 ↑33 ↑34 ↑35 ↑36 ↑37
13. [13]EXHIBITOR magazine, 2015 Sales Lead Survey. 2015.↑38 ↑39 ↑40 ↑41 ↑42 ↑43

Method

We searched Google and Google Scholar for exhibitor statistics, trade show exhibitor statistics, exhibiting statistics and how many companies exhibit at trade shows, and read the 15 statistics pages that ranked and the research papers with open full text. Each number was traced to the organisation or paper that produced it and checked against it on September 24, 2026. CEIR and Freeman sell their full reports, so their numbers come from trade press coverage of them. The newest public survey of exhibitor lead follow-up we found is EXHIBITOR magazine's from 2015, and it is dated on the page. ExhibitorLens numbers come from our own database of exhibitor lists. They cover 587 trade shows and exhibitions and leave out craft fairs, community markets and conference sponsor lists. Companies are matched by website domain; test rows and one exhibitor-directory platform listing are removed.

ExhibitorLens numbers new on this page:

• Microsoft exhibits at trade shows in 10 countries in the ExhibitorLens dataset, more than any other company; Schneider Electric, Honeywell and Oracle exhibit in 9. Countries are the host countries of the shows where a company's website domain appears. One large automation brand is left out because its listings resolve to an unrelated domain.
• 4.5% of the 174,300 companies exhibiting at the 587 trade shows in the ExhibitorLens dataset (7,762) exhibit in two or more countries. Count of companies whose shows are held in at least two host countries.
• 868 of the 174,300 companies in the ExhibitorLens dataset (0.5%) exhibit at five or more of its 587 trade shows; 66 exhibit at ten or more. Count of shows per company across the dataset.

All 43 statistics as a CSV: exhibitor-statistics.csv.

Cite this page

ExhibitorLens, “Exhibitor 2026 Statistics (Updated September)”, updated September 2026, https://exhibitorlens.com/research/exhibitor-statistics

To cite one number, link its anchor: each statistic has one, for example https://exhibitorlens.com/research/exhibitor-statistics#stat-1.