Trade Show 2026 Statistics (Updated September)

How many trade shows are there and how big is the industry

1. 1

   UFI estimates that 32,000 exhibitions were held worldwide in 2024, about the same number as before the pandemic.

   Source: UFI, Global Exhibition Industry Statistics (May 2025), 2025 ^[1]

2. 2

   4.7 million exhibiting companies and 318 million visitors took part in exhibitions worldwide in 2024, according to UFI.

   Source: UFI, Global Exhibition Industry Statistics (May 2025), 2025 ^[1]

3. 3

   Exhibitors rented 138 million square metres of space worldwide in 2024, against 143.7 million in 2019, UFI estimates.

   Source: UFI, Global Exhibition Industry Statistics (May 2025), 2025 ^[1]

4. 4

   Europe drew 102 million exhibition visitors in 2024, more than any other region; North America drew 89 million and Asia-Pacific 84 million.

   Source: UFI, Global Exhibition Industry Statistics (May 2025), 2025 ^[1]

5. 5

   Space rented by exhibitors fell by an average of 1.4% a year in Europe between 2019 and 2024 and rose 0.9% a year in the Middle East, UFI found.

   Source: UFI, Global Exhibition Industry Statistics (May 2025), 2025 ^[1]

6. 6

   Exhibitions generated $398 billion in total economic output worldwide in 2024 and supported 4.3 million full-time jobs, according to UFI and Oxford Economics.

   Source: UFI and Oxford Economics, Global Economic Impact of Exhibitions, 2025 ^[1]

7. 7

   Direct spending on exhibitions by organisers, exhibitors and visitors totalled $162 billion worldwide in 2024.

   Source: UFI and Oxford Economics, Global Economic Impact of Exhibitions, 2025 ^[1]

8. 8

   Each exhibiting company generated $85,200 of total economic output on average in 2024, UFI and Oxford Economics estimate.

   Source: UFI and Oxford Economics, Global Economic Impact of Exhibitions, 2025 ^[1]

9. 9

   Business events of all kinds drew 1.65 billion participants in 2025 and generated $1.3 trillion in direct spending, 12.2% more than in 2019.

   Source: Events Industry Council and Oxford Economics, 2026 Global Economic Significance of Business Events, 2026 ^[2]

10. 10

    Trade shows directly supported $180 billion in spending worldwide in 2025, according to the Events Industry Council.

    Source: Events Industry Council and Oxford Economics, 2026 Global Economic Significance of Business Events, 2026 ^[2]

11. 11

    Direct spending by business events averaged $785 per participant in 2025.

    Source: Events Industry Council and Oxford Economics, 2026 Global Economic Significance of Business Events, 2026 ^[2]

12. 12

    Business events supported 24.2 million jobs and $1.8 trillion of GDP worldwide in 2025, counting direct, indirect and induced effects.

    Source: Events Industry Council and Oxford Economics, 2026 Global Economic Significance of Business Events, 2026 ^[2]

13. 13

    Oxford Economics predicts that direct spending on business events will reach $1.6 trillion by 2028 (forecast).

    Source: Events Industry Council and Oxford Economics, 2026 Global Economic Significance of Business Events, 2026 ^[2]

14. 14

    IBISWorld puts the U.S. trade show and event planning industry at $24.7 billion in revenue in 2026.

    Source: IBISWorld, Trade Show & Event Planning in the US, 2026 ^[3]

15. 15

    There are 50,605 businesses in the U.S. trade show and event planning industry, according to IBISWorld.

    Source: IBISWorld, Trade Show & Event Planning in the US, 2026 ^[3]

What 587 trade show exhibitor lists show

1. 16

   Half of the 587 trade shows in the ExhibitorLens dataset list 146 exhibitors or fewer; the average is 359, pulled up by a few very large shows.

   Source: ExhibitorLens · exhibitor lists collected August to September 2026 · 587 trade shows, 210,858 exhibitor listings · method

2. 17

   45 of the 587 trade shows in the ExhibitorLens dataset (7.7%) list 1,000 or more exhibitors; Gulfood 2027 in Dubai lists the most, 11,488.

   Source: ExhibitorLens · exhibitor lists collected August to September 2026 · 587 trade shows · method

3. 18

   Schneider Electric exhibits at 26 of the 587 trade shows in the ExhibitorLens dataset, more than any other manufacturer or tech company; Honeywell appears at 25, and Eaton, Siemens and Microsoft at 23 each.

   Source: ExhibitorLens · exhibitor lists collected August to September 2026 · 587 trade shows, 174,301 companies · method

4. 19

   91.2% of the 77,573 companies in an ExhibitorLens sample of 734 trade show editions exhibit at exactly one show.

   Source: ExhibitorLens · August 2026 · 90,651 exhibitor listings from 734 show editions

Trade shows in Germany and Europe

1. 20

   304 trade fairs took place in Germany in 2025, twelve of them new events.

   Source: AUMA, Key figures for the trade fair industry, 2026 ^[4]

2. 21

   191,990 exhibiting companies took part in German trade fairs in 2025, across 6.91 million square metres of space.

   Source: AUMA, Key figures for the trade fair industry, 2026 ^[4]

3. 22

   German trade fairs drew about 12.75 million visitors in 2025, 1.9% more than the previous editions of the same fairs.

   Source: AUMA, Key figures for the trade fair industry, 2026 ^[4]

4. 23

   More than 320 trade fairs are planned in Germany in 2026.

   Source: AUMA, Key figures for the trade fair industry, 2026 ^[4]

5. 24

   About three quarters of 400 exhibiting companies surveyed by AUMA plan to take part in as many or more trade fairs this year and next.

   Source: AUMA, Key figures for the trade fair industry, 2026 ^[4]

6. 25

   There are more than 1,530 exhibition centres worldwide with 44.3 million square metres of hall space, according to UFI's venue census.

   Source: UFI World Map of Exhibition Venues 2025, reported by AUMA, 2026 ^[4]

7. 26

   EMECA's member venues in Europe hosted about 378,000 exhibitors in 2024; 43% came from abroad.

   Source: EMECA and KPMG, Economic Impact Study, 2025 ^[5]

8. 27

   More than 39.2 million visitors attended exhibitions and events at EMECA member venues in 2024; 23% were international.

   Source: EMECA and KPMG, Economic Impact Study, 2025 ^[5]

9. 28

   Activity at EMECA member venues generated more than €81.9 billion of economic impact in Europe in 2024, a KPMG study found.

   Source: EMECA and KPMG, Economic Impact Study, 2025 ^[5]

Have U.S. trade shows recovered since 2019

1. 29

   The CEIR Total Index for U.S. B2B exhibitions was 11.1% below 2019 levels in the third quarter of 2025.

   Source: CEIR, Q3 2025 Index Report, 2025 ^[6]

2. 30

   39.3% of U.S. B2B exhibitions in CEIR's sample beat their pre-pandemic performance in Q3 2025, up from 37.3% a year earlier.

   Source: CEIR, Q3 2025 Index Report, 2025 ^[6]

3. 31

   The number of exhibiting companies at U.S. B2B shows was 5.0% below 2019 in Q3 2025, the smallest gap of CEIR's four measures.

   Source: CEIR, Q3 2025 Index Report, 2025 ^[6]

4. 32

   Attendance at U.S. B2B exhibitions was 12.3% below 2019 in Q3 2025, and inflation-adjusted revenue was 18.2% below, according to CEIR's Q3 2025 Index Report.

   Source: CEIR, Q3 2025 Index Report, 2025 ^[6]

5. 33

   Only 0.5% of in-person U.S. B2B exhibitions in CEIR's sample were cancelled in Q3 2025, down from 1.5% in Q2.

   Source: CEIR, Q3 2025 Index Report, 2025 ^[6]

6. 34

   The CEIR Index peaked at 2% below 2019 levels in the fourth quarter of 2025, CEIR told a May 2026 webinar.

   Source: Skift Meetings, reporting CEIR's May 2026 Index update, 2026 ^[7]

7. 35

   According to CEIR's May 2026 Index update, four U.S. exhibition sectors had passed their 2019 performance by early 2026: building and construction, transportation, government, and industrial machinery.

   Source: Skift Meetings, reporting CEIR's May 2026 Index update, 2026 ^[7]

8. 36

   Independent B2B exhibition organizers averaged net profit margins of 46%, and 80% of their events ended with positive revenue, according to CEIR's 2026 benchmark study.

   Source: PCMA, reporting CEIR's 2026 Performance Benchmark Playbook, 2026 ^[8]

What exhibition companies expect

1. 37

   91% of exhibition companies worldwide use AI in some form, up from 87% six months earlier.

   Source: UFI, 37th Global Exhibition Barometer (July 2026), 2026 ^[9]

2. 38

   26% of exhibition companies expect business in their home market to grow by more than 5% in 2026, and 21% expect a fall of more than 5% (forecast).

   Source: UFI, 37th Global Exhibition Barometer (July 2026), 2026 ^[9]

3. 39

   14% of exhibition companies worldwide reported a strong negative effect on business from the conflict in the Middle East in June 2026.

   Source: UFI, 37th Global Exhibition Barometer (July 2026), 2026 ^[9]

4. 40

   37% of exhibition companies grew operating profit by more than 10% in 2025; 19% expect to do so in 2026.

   Source: UFI, 37th Global Exhibition Barometer (July 2026), 2026 ^[9]

5. 41

   47% of exhibition companies reported activity growth of more than 5% in their home market in 2025.

   Source: UFI, 36th Global Exhibition Barometer (January 2026), 2026 ^[10]

6. 42

   37% of exhibition companies say every show needs a new format, and another 58% say it depends on the show.

   Source: UFI, 36th Global Exhibition Barometer (January 2026), 2026 ^[10]

7. 43

   39% of exhibition companies planned to add staff going into 2026.

   Source: UFI, 36th Global Exhibition Barometer (January 2026), 2026 ^[10]

What trade show attendees want

1. 44

   74% of attendees surveyed by Freeman name face-to-face events as a top source for finding new products and services, ahead of company websites at 56%.

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

2. 45

   93% of attendees say capable booth staff is extremely important, but only 78% say exhibitors deliver it, in a 2025 Freeman Trends Report survey.

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

3. 46

   In a 2025 Freeman Trends Report survey, 58% of attendees say talking to a subject matter expert would improve booth visits; 26% of exhibitors agree.

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

4. 47

   32% of exhibitors say the organizer's rules at their most important show kept them from reaching their commercial goals.

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

5. 48

   54% of event attendees plan to attend more in-person events than last year.

   Source: Bizzabo, 2026 event marketing statistics, 2026 ^[12]

6. 49

   Events run by high-performing organizations on Bizzabo averaged 52% attendance among registrants.

   Source: Bizzabo, 2026 event marketing statistics, 2026 ^[12]

Trade show marketing budgets and ROI

1. 50

   78% of event organizers say in-person conferences, summits and conventions are their most impactful marketing channel.

   Source: Bizzabo, 2026 event marketing statistics, 2026 ^[12]

2. 51

   40% of event organizers report difficulty proving event ROI in 2026, down from 70% in 2025.

   Source: Bizzabo, 2026 event marketing statistics, 2026 ^[12]

3. 52

   45% of event teams have one to three people.

   Source: Bizzabo, 2026 event marketing statistics, 2026 ^[12]

4. 53

   66% of U.S. marketers who host more than one event format said in-person events brought in the most revenue.

   Source: Splash (Cvent), 2025 Outlook on Events, 2025 ^[13]

5. 54

   55% of U.S. marketers who run events put at least 20% of their total marketing budget into events.

   Source: Splash (Cvent), 2025 Outlook on Events, 2025 ^[13]

6. 55

   Show services, from internet access to trash collection, took 18% of the average exhibit budget in EXHIBITOR's 2025 survey, up from around 14% between 1998 and 2022.

   Source: EXHIBITOR magazine, Budget Breakdown: How the Exhibiting Dollar Is Spent, 2025 ^[14]

7. 56

   Travel took 11% of the average exhibit budget in EXHIBITOR's 2025 survey, up from 2% in 1988.

   Source: EXHIBITOR magazine, Budget Breakdown: How the Exhibiting Dollar Is Spent, 2025 ^[14]

8. 57

   Promotions took 8% of the average exhibit budget in EXHIBITOR's 2025 survey, up from 2% in 1988.

   Source: EXHIBITOR magazine, Budget Breakdown: How the Exhibiting Dollar Is Spent, 2025 ^[14]

Frequently asked questions

How many trade shows are there each year?

UFI estimates that 32,000 exhibitions were held worldwide in 2024, about the same number as before the pandemic. Germany alone hosted 304 trade fairs in 2025, according to AUMA, and more than 320 are planned for 2026.

How big is the trade show industry?

UFI and Oxford Economics put direct spending on exhibitions at $162 billion in 2024 and total economic output at $398 billion, supporting 4.3 million jobs. The Events Industry Council counts $180 billion of direct spending on trade shows in 2025. In the U.S., IBISWorld puts trade show and event planning revenue at $24.7 billion for 2026.

Have trade shows recovered from the pandemic?

Not fully in the U.S. CEIR's index for U.S. B2B exhibitions was 11.1% below 2019 in Q3 2025 and 2% below at its Q4 2025 peak. Exhibitor numbers are close to 2019 (5.0% below), while attendance (12.3% below) and inflation-adjusted revenue (18.2% below) lag. Worldwide, the number of exhibitions in 2024 matched 2019, but rented space was slightly lower.

How many exhibitors does a typical trade show have?

Half of the 587 trade shows in the ExhibitorLens dataset list 146 exhibitors or fewer. Only 45 (7.7%) list 1,000 or more; Gulfood 2027 lists 11,488.

Do companies exhibit at many different trade shows?

Most do not. In an ExhibitorLens sample of 734 show editions, 91.2% of 77,573 companies appear at exactly one show. Across 587 shows, the manufacturer or tech company seen most often, Schneider Electric, appears at 26.

What do trade show attendees want from exhibitors?

In Freeman's 2025 survey, 93% of attendees said capable booth staff is extremely important, but only 78% said exhibitors deliver it. 58% of attendees want to talk to a subject matter expert at the booth, while only 26% of exhibitors think that would help.

Sources

1. [1]UFI, Global Exhibition Industry Statistics (May 2025). 2025.↑1 ↑2 ↑3 ↑4 ↑5 ↑6 ↑7 ↑8
2. [2]Events Industry Council and Oxford Economics, 2026 Global Economic Significance of Business Events. 2026.↑9 ↑10 ↑11 ↑12 ↑13
3. [3]IBISWorld, Trade Show & Event Planning in the US. 2026.↑14 ↑15
4. [4]AUMA, Key figures for the trade fair industry. 2026.↑20 ↑21 ↑22 ↑23 ↑24 ↑25
5. [5]EMECA and KPMG, Economic Impact Study. 2025.↑26 ↑27 ↑28
6. [6]CEIR, Q3 2025 Index Report. 2025.↑29 ↑30 ↑31 ↑32 ↑33
7. [7]Skift Meetings, reporting CEIR's May 2026 Index update. 2026.↑34 ↑35
8. [8]PCMA, reporting CEIR's 2026 Performance Benchmark Playbook. 2026.↑36
9. [9]UFI, 37th Global Exhibition Barometer (July 2026). 2026.↑37 ↑38 ↑39 ↑40
10. [10]UFI, 36th Global Exhibition Barometer (January 2026). 2026.↑41 ↑42 ↑43
11. [11]Freeman Trends Report, reported by Trade Show Executive. 2025.↑44 ↑45 ↑46 ↑47
12. [12]Bizzabo, 2026 event marketing statistics. 2026.↑48 ↑49 ↑50 ↑51 ↑52
13. [13]Splash (Cvent), 2025 Outlook on Events. 2025.↑53 ↑54
14. [14]EXHIBITOR magazine, Budget Breakdown: How the Exhibiting Dollar Is Spent. 2025.↑55 ↑56 ↑57

Method

We searched Google for trade show statistics, trade show marketing statistics, trade show industry statistics and trade show ROI statistics, read the 15 statistics pages that ranked, and counted how many of them repeat each number. We then traced each number to the organisation that produced it and checked it against that page on September 24, 2026. Forecasts are marked. ExhibitorLens numbers come from our own database of exhibitor lists; they cover trade shows and exhibitions only and leave out the craft fairs, community markets and conference sponsor lists that are also in the dataset.

ExhibitorLens numbers new on this page:

• Half of the 587 trade shows in the ExhibitorLens dataset list 146 exhibitors or fewer; the average is 359, pulled up by a few very large shows. Median and mean of the exhibitor count per show edition, over every trade show and exhibition with a published exhibitor list. Craft fairs and community markets (the Eventeny source) and conference sponsor lists (the ConferenceDB source, a median of six names per event) are left out.
• 45 of the 587 trade shows in the ExhibitorLens dataset (7.7%) list 1,000 or more exhibitors; Gulfood 2027 in Dubai lists the most, 11,488. Count of show editions whose published exhibitor list has 1,000 or more companies.
• Schneider Electric exhibits at 26 of the 587 trade shows in the ExhibitorLens dataset, more than any other manufacturer or tech company; Honeywell appears at 25, and Eaton, Siemens and Microsoft at 23 each. Companies are matched by website domain across shows, so divisions such as Honeywell Aerospace count as Honeywell. Shared hosts (gmail.com, myshopify.com and similar) are matched by name instead. HelloFresh is listed at 33 shows, mostly UK shows that use the same exhibitor-directory platform, including dental, veterinary and commercial vehicle shows; we read that as a platform listing and left it out. Rows named "Zasp Test" are platform test entries and were removed.

All 57 statistics as a CSV: trade-show-statistics.csv.

Cite this page

ExhibitorLens, “Trade Show 2026 Statistics (Updated September)”, updated September 2026, https://exhibitorlens.com/research/trade-show-statistics

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