Trade show attendance trends

The United States is home to a significant number of trade shows worldwide. In 2019, the U.S. trade show industry generated revenue of over 15.7 billion U.S. dollars and thereby accounted for almost half of the global total. In terms of distribution, nearly half of the revenue from U.S. trade shows comes from registrations, with another quarter attributed to exhibit sales. Thanks to digital innovation, immersive offerings, and an overall focus on entertainment, the U.S. exhibition industry has seen year-over-year revenue growth for several decades. Considering that trade fairs were often labeled as outdated in the past, these steps have certainly helped to revive this marketing format and transform traditional networking events into unique experiences.

Depending on the event, the number of exhibitors at large trade shows in the U.S. has either remained stable or seen an increase in recent years. When asked about attendance figures in 2019, only a few industry experts noticed a drop in exhibitor and visitor numbers at U.S. conventions. Although reaching target audiences has been named the top challenge to growing trade show visitor attendance, a majority of exhibitors were confident about future trade show results in 2019, and this optimism also translated into companies event marketing budgets.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, however, marketers and exhibitors across the United States were forced to revisit budgets and revenue projections in early 2020. Around 66 percent of surveyed U.S. event organizers decided to postpone shows and conventions in light of the pandemic. In comparison, some 87 percent canceled events altogether. To recover from the radical decline in trade show attendance and revenue during the first quarter of 2020, many industry professionals reallocated their event budgets to digital channels and started to host virtual events. When and how visitors will be able to attend trade shows in person again remains to be seen, as the future of the exhibition, convention, and meeting industry is still uncertain in the United States and worldwide.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

The United States is home to a significant number of trade shows worldwide. In 2019, the U.S. trade show industry generated revenue of over 15.7 billion U.S. dollars and thereby accounted for almost half of the global total. In terms of distribution, nearly half of the revenue from U.S. trade shows comes from registrations, with another quarter attributed to exhibit sales. Thanks to digital innovation, immersive offerings, and an overall focus on entertainment, the U.S. exhibition industry has seen year-over-year revenue growth for several decades. Considering that trade fairs were often labeled as outdated in the past, these steps have certainly helped to revive this marketing format and transform traditional networking events into unique experiences.

Depending on the event, the number of exhibitors at large trade shows in the U.S. has either remained stable or seen an increase in recent years. When asked about attendance figures in 2019, only a few industry experts noticed a drop in exhibitor and visitor numbers at U.S. conventions. Although reaching target audiences has been named the top challenge to growing trade show visitor attendance, a majority of exhibitors were confident about future trade show results in 2019, and this optimism also translated into companies event marketing budgets.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, however, marketers and exhibitors across the United States were forced to revisit budgets and revenue projections in early 2020. Around 66 percent of surveyed U.S. event organizers decided to postpone shows and conventions in light of the pandemic. In comparison, some 87 percent canceled events altogether. To recover from the radical decline in trade show attendance and revenue during the first quarter of 2020, many industry professionals reallocated their event budgets to digital channels and started to host virtual events. When and how visitors will be able to attend trade shows in person again remains to be seen, as the future of the exhibition, convention, and meeting industry is still uncertain in the United States and worldwide.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.