What's Happening Now
EXHIBITORLIVE 2026 - Tampa, Florida
Register Today and Save $400
eTrak University-Affiliated Online Learning
Registration is Open!
Reach Marketing Professionals Ready to Buy
Exhibit at EXHIBITORLIVE
quiz
How normal are you and your trade show program compared to “average” exhibitors? To find out, take this quiz featuring data we've compiled from our recent research reports. But if your answers fall outside the average “peer-centages,” don't worry. That's perfectly normal. By Charles Pappas
Click on a choice to reveal the correct answer
 
1. Half of exhibitors plan to maintain their level of AI use, but how many intend to decrease their use of it?
a. 3 percent
b. 13 percent
c. 23 percent

 
2. How many exhibitors are “very satisfied” with exhibits as a marketing channel at trade shows?
a. 15 percent
b. 30 percent
c. 45 percent

 
3. Of those planning to exhibit at fewer in-person shows in the next year, how many reported that exhibit-related costs were a factor in their decisions?
a. 92 percent
b. 82 percent
c. 72 percent

 
4. While 48 percent of events professionals are “optimistic” about their career's future, how many exhibitors feel the same way about the U.S. economy?
a. 11 percent
b. 21 percent
c. 31 percent

 
5. How many exhibitors offer an area in their booth for one-on-one or small-group product/service demos?
a. 23 percent
b. 33 percent
c. 43 percent

 
6. Nearly 80 percent train their booth workers using in-house staff, but how many exhibitors employ an outside vendor?
a. 6 percent
b. 4 percent
c. 2 percent

 
7. Thirty-eight percent of exhibitors have trade show budgets up to $500,000. How many have budgets that surpass $2 million?
a. 20 percent
b. 30 percent
c. 40 percent

 
8. Of those making their exhibits more sustainable, how many plan to increase those efforts?
a. 24 percent
b. 36 percent
c. 48 percent

 
9. Seventy percent say they will maintain their current exhibit-promotion spending. What percentage intend to increase it?
a. 9 percent
b. 19 percent
c. 29 percent

 
10. What percentage of exhibitors feel “confident” or “very confident” they can measure their trade show program's effectiveness?
a. 9 percent
b. 29 percent
c. 49 percent

 
11. What percentage of exhibitors say that their event budget has either fully or partially returned to pre-pandemic levels?
a. 25 percent
b. 50 percent
c. 75 percent

 
12. What percentage of exhibitors have product/service experts among their booth staff?
a. 35 percent
b. 55 percent
c. 75 percent
Editorial
Coloring Inside the Lines
The most impactful designs are ones in which companies strip their message down to its essence.
Exhibitor Q & A
Augmented and Virtual Reality
What are the most effective ways to integrate AR and VR into a trade show environment to support our brand goals?
Ask Dan
Ideas from the New Guy
My boss tends to accept ideas or suggestions based on an employee's seniority.
Exhibiting 101
Network Smarter, Not Harder
These strategic tips will help you meet the right people at the right time for the right reasons.
Fuel
Ideas That Work
Put a Pin in it, Bust a Move, Free Bird, and more
Products
New Tools
Trade Show Maestro chatbot, Audio Design Tool for Non-Techies, and more
Conventional Wisdom
Congress Center Hamburg
The Congress Center Hamburg (CCH) was reopened in 2022 after an extensive $345 million overhaul.
City Profile
Get Out! Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg entices visitors to experience its history, culture, and nightlife from every angle.
Fixing Snafus
Lost in Transportation
A rushed shipment bound for San Antonio took an unplanned Vegas vacation, and the show opening was just hours away.
Archive
Fairy Tale
1908: The Electricity Fairy visits the International Exposition of Electricity in Marseille, France.
Education
Shelf Help
These 2025 titles offer fresh insights, practical guidance, and behind-the-scenes tales of event industry history.
Portfolio
Ceiling the Deal
In the exhibit hall's sea of sameness, the ceiling remains the final frontier for differentiation.
Quiz
Are You Normal?
How normal are you and your trade show program compared to "average" exhibitors?
Case Study
Sound Decisions
At Integrated Systems Europe, Sono's dreams were bigger than its budget. But the company's gamble paid off.
Expo Awards
World Expo Awards
EXHIBITOR holds its sixth World Expo Awards competition to honor the most impressive pavilions in Osaka, Japan
Expo Awards
World Expo Awards Honorable Mentions
Honorable Mentions from EXHIBITOR's sixth World Expo Awards competition in Osaka, Japan
Expo Awards
Quiet Giants
EXHIBITOR's resident World Expo historian and consultant discusses his favorite finds from World Expo 2025.