New CEIR report explores future of exhibitions

DALLAS – The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) has released the fourth installment in its 2024 “Maximizing Visitor and Exhibitor Engagement on the Show Floor” series titled “Exhibitor Outlook for the Future – Areas for Improvement and Interest in new models”.

The study covers North American exhibitors and organizers active in the US, Canadian and Mexican markets.

“We conducted this study in 2017 and conducted it this year to update insights into what is currently working,” said Nancy Drapeau, IPC, vice president of research at CEIR. “Based on observations from organizers and exhibitors, it identifies which attendee engagement methods are highly utilized by attendees. The ultimate goal is to identify attendee engagement strategies used by exhibitors to increase attendee usage. It tracks attendee How participation supports the overall goals of the show and impacts the show’s key performance indicators. If attendee usage is high, it shows that the participating product is resonating with attendees and shows that they are valued. Therefore, ultimately it establishes support for the exhibitor. and attendee participation options for a win-win situation. This new report, the fourth in the series, provides exhibitors with a look into the future. It details where exhibitors aim to improve or enhance their approach. Overall it shows the exhibitor base is committed to building on its success and the future looks bright.”

Shifts in exhibitor preferences and areas for improvement

The report shows that 75% of exhibitors want to improve their attendee engagement strategies and 50% recommend organizers make updates, an increase from the 2017 report.

Additionally, 46% of exhibitors said they were interested in new models or layouts, and 62% were looking for new ideas for their exhibition projects.

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CEIR provides exhibitor requests to organizers to increase attendee engagement, organized by popularity:

• 33% of requests were to improve attendee flow
• 22% of requests were for access to live attendee registration data
• 16% of requests were to make registration fields more useful for post-show follow-up
• 14% of requests were to standardize registration data fields to minimize scanner errors and import data
• 14% of requests were for flexibility in changing booth location

In terms of new models, the most common preferences among exhibitors were for alternative, in-person setups that did not include standard ducting and curtains, or were smaller and more personalized. Digital alternatives such as hybrid and virtual trade shows are not popular, CEIR revealed, marking a shift from 2017 when around 20% of exhibitors were interested in these formats.

“When considering new vehicle models or floor layouts over the next few years, exhibitor interest is highest in in-person physical environments, while interest in digital options is in the single digits, likely due to pandemic burnout towards virtual events,” Drapeau said.

The report also states that exhibitors are 24% more likely to find new attendees to engage with creatives in B2B environments compared to consumer environments.

To learn more, download the full report here.