The High Price of Uncertainty

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RESEARCH

The High Price of Uncertainty

Exhibitors and suppliers weigh in on how tariff volatility is reshaping budgets and timelines across the trade show ecosystem. By Emily Olson

Tariff policy has been a moving target this year, and for exhibit and event professionals already dealing with increasing costs and tight budgets that are not quite at pre-COVID levels, uncertainty surrounding the impact of tariffs on their program has become an expensive variable.

To gauge how the industry is coping with the nearly daily changes in the headlines, EXHIBITOR conducted a two-part survey this summer — one aimed at exhibitors and another at the suppliers who design, build, and transport exhibits. While the nearly 200 responses varied, a single theme emerged with striking clarity — whether due to inflation, tariffs, or a combination of both, prices are going up. And nobody knows what to plan for next.

That uncertainty is rippling through every corner of the trade show ecosystem. Exhibitors report rethinking sourcing strategies and padding or reallocating budgets to absorb potential cost swings. Suppliers, meanwhile, describe the daily challenge of quoting projects without knowing whether key materials will be hit with new duties or restrictions by the time an exhibit ships. For some, it's an exhausting cycle of contingency planning.

Despite these headwinds, the ever-resilient industry isn't retreating. Many are forging ahead with no changes to their programs. Some are recalibrating by exploring domestic sourcing, diversifying vendor relationships, or negotiating more flexible contracts. In short, the industry is adapting, even if it can't predict what comes next.

The data that follows offers a snapshot of how both exhibitors and suppliers are managing an environment where the rules can and do change overnight. It also underscores a truth that extends beyond tariff policy: in a world increasingly defined by volatility, agility is the new competitive edge.

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Exhibit Managers

Slightly more than half of our survey respondents are exhibit managers navigating the uncertain landscape of tariff policy. Most of them have noticed price increases in 2025, and they're trying to reallocate their exhibit spend while learning all they can about how tariffs may impact them in 2026.

We asked survey respondents to tell us about their experiences surrounding tariff uncertainty. Here's how they responded:

“My internal stakeholders are being more strategic about which conferences they participate in and how many attendees we send.”

“We recently had to review our events budget and cut 25 percent. We reduced the number of people staffing the booths to two. But my ROI goal has not changed, so I am expected to hit my target with fewer staff, fewer show-specific materials, and fewer events.”

“We are foregoing promos/give-away items at some events and cutting back on our sponsor levels at other events. We are also reducing booth sizes in certain markets and certain shows.”

“Our machines are built in Switzerland and Taiwan. When the tariffs first hit we downsized all of our booths to a 10-by-10 and decided not to show any machines for the rest of the year.”

“We decided to postpone purchasing new booth property for a major show we had in October. Instead we reused an existing three-year-old booth and updated some of the graphics.”

Exhibit Suppliers

Nearly half of our survey respondents are from the supply side of the industry, and although their concerns were different from those of their clients, their responses confirm that tariff uncertainty is causing upheaval. Their goals are to protect themselves and their customers from price hikes while educating their exhibit partners as best they can in a shifting landscape.

We asked suppliers about their biggest challenge surrounding tariffs and what they're doing to address it. Here's how they responded:

“The constant changing makes it hard to maintain margins consistently.”

“The uncertainty in the market is our biggest concern. If clients decide to sit on the sidelines till the chaos ends we are all in trouble.”

“These days, most clients want to spend less, but everything we need to build a great booth costs more. That's our biggest challenge, and also our biggest push to innovate smarter, leaner solutions.”

“Costs on exhibit systems that are assembled in Europe have gone up significantly, which affects most of our domestic vendor partners as well. We pass partial cost of new stock to clients and invest heavily in our house rental and in-house custom capabilities to remain self-sustainable in the future.”

“Customers are not used to dynamic pricing. Quotes that have been valid for months now are now only valid for days.”

“Rising costs are tough, but harder is keeping clients invested in the why: supporting small business and sustainability. Those values can fall off the radar when budgets get tight.”