CHICAGO — The new Freeman Trends Report focuses on the Networking aspect of its XLNC (Experience, Learning, Networking and Commerce) framework, with one key stat standing out: 51% of attendees say that successful networking is a reason for them to return to an event.
Trade Show Executive connected with Ken Holsinger, Senior Vice President of Strategy at Freeman to discuss the report’s findings, and he emphasized that networking is too important to be left to chance — it requires intentional design and measurable outcomes.
“We know that of average first-time attendees, only 30% of them return to an event. That’s a sobering stat. You could look at that and go great, I have 70% loyalty, but in an era where people are being more selective with where they spend their investment, of time particularly, we’ve got to get higher than that,” Holsinger said. “The first thing that’s emerged to us that was really surprising is if we can just make a few connections for people, they’ll come back, and that lowers our customer acquisition costs.”
Key Findings: Understanding Objectives
- While most attendees say they network to get new ideas (61%) and meet new contacts (58%), a majority of exhibitors (59%) say they measure networking success by the number of new leads they acquire.
- When looking at how attendees expect to feel from networking at events, 66% of trade show attendees and 47% of conference attendees say they expect to feel in the know about the latest products, services and solutions. However, for exhibitors, be weary the sales pitch, because 34% of attendees say a barrier to networking at events is it feeling “too salesy.”
- Food and beverage at a networking event are table stakes with most attendees citing it as driving value, however, the next most-valuable aspect of a networking event is prompts related to industry topics or challenges to start discussions. Attendees want to connect over purpose.
- As event organizers plan networking events, a helpful equation to remember is: People + Place + Provisions x PURPOSE = Connection.
But There’s a Misalignment
- While research shows attendees primarily network to gain new ideas and contacts, organizers said they believe most attendees network to find commercial opportunities (61%) and reconnect with acquaintances (48%).
- Even though 51% of attendees say that successful networking experiences would make them return to an event in the future and 63% say subject matter experts contribute to networking success, only a small percentage of event organizers believe it’s their job to bring in subject matter experts (14%) or determine networking topics (10%).
Measurement is More Important than Ever
“There is a massive opportunity here, but you’re going to have to not do things the way you’ve been doing them. You’re going to have to think different and more importantly, measure differently the outcomes so you know if you’re succeeding or not,” Holsinger said.
He advised organizers to think through their data collection process and the kinds of questions they ask, encouraging them to focus on questions that will help to understand a participant’s objective before an event and if they met those objectives after an event.
Related. Freeman Trends Report Reveals Commerce Is the Top Reason for Attending In-Person Events
“If you said that the primary goal of a learner is to discover and to understand, I’m going to measure their objectives through the lens of did they attend sessions and what they rated the speakers,” Holsinger said. “I challenge any event to tell me how they measure this — how their attendees are truly connecting. I know organizers want their net promoter questions but are you asking people, if their objective was networking, did you meet people, and if not, how can I help you?”
It’s More than a Generational Shift
The report also breaks down its stats by what the NowGen attendees (Millennials and Gen Z aged 23-46) are expecting of events, since they are making up the backbone of and entering the workforce in such large numbers while the Boomers exit in significant numbers.
“When we talk about the generational shift, this is not just the baton handoff. There’s a major shift here because Gen X isn’t big enough to take up the jobs [left by the Boomers],” Holsinger said. “The last time this happened, the other thing that lined up with the Boomers entering the workforce, we were also shifting from the industrial era of the economy to the information age. Here we are again, shifting from the information age, which was all about volume of data, to the intelligence of information.”
With these two major shifts happening simultaneously, it is important that organizers focus on reaching and investing in the emerging generations to extend the longevity of their events and audience.
How Organizers Can Take Action Now
On the bright side, there are ways to close these gaps in understanding and expectations. Attendees have reported that they are willing to share more of their information — from their role and responsibilities to their work location to challenges they face to sessions they plan to attend— if it leads to increased personalization and meaningful experiences at an event.
“Every question you ask throughout the process, registration or wherever else, it should be mapped to an outcome,” Holsinger said. “Attendees will opt in, they’ll give you deeply personal information but only if you give them purpose. It’s transactional.”
The report advises organizers to take the following action steps to increase their networking success:
- Devote a single person on the team to the networking strategy and operations to ensure accountability.
- Build purposeful pre-event experiences aimed at connecting attendees and exhibitors ahead of the show so they can make the most of their time at the event.
- Help attendees practice networking skills by providing actionable resources like listening tools, best practices and workshops.
- Execute networking experiences that are designed to encourage idea-sharing and build relationships.
- Invest in insights, surveys and testing what is effective to build real purpose-driven networking experiences.
Future Reports
The Experience-focused report in the Freeman Trends series will be launched at IMEX America this fall, and the Learning-focused report will be released in early 2026.
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