CHICAGO — Key metrics declined in the fourth quarter of 2025, marking a moment of recalibration for the trade show industry.
“After a few years of high growth across the board following the pandemic, trade show growth in 2025 slowed,” explained Carri Jensen, Director of Research at Trade Show Executive. “For the entire year, floor space increased 1.6% while growth in exhibitors ticked up just 0.5%. The crowds were smaller also compared to the previous year with a (0.8)% drop in total attendance and a (1.2)% downturn in professional attendance. Collectively, Q4 shows reported the largest declines in the key metrics in 2025 with total attendance falling (2.8)% and professional attendance dropping (2.6)%. The number of exhibiting companies was also down, slipping (1.1)%, however, growth in exhibit space kept pace with the rest of the year, increasing 1.3%. The TSE Dashboard breaks down the notable findings in the fourth quarter and reveals some of the top performers that contributed to moving the needle in a positive direction.”
In total, 72 trade shows appear in the Q4 Dashboard report. Fifty of these events grew in net square footage (nsf) while 15 were able to expand percentages in double-digits. Exhibiting companies improved at 38 shows, 12 of which recorded double-digit gains. In terms of attendance, 30 events achieved improvements in this metric and 13 were able to reach double-digit growth. Once adjusted to remove shows without a consecutive two-year comparison and outliers, the Dashboard report catalogs a total of 11,009,807 nsf, 36,161 exhibitors and 972,400 attendees. On an average per show basis, this amounts to 169,382 nsf, 540 exhibitors and 14,960 attendees.
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Comparing the previous five quarters, exhibitor growth has seen the most extended decline, contracting for the fourth consecutive quarter. Attendee numbers have also struggled, continuing a downward trajectory for the third quarter in a row. While nsf had been sliding as well, Q4 reversed that trend with growth in this key metric. This positive development is somewhat overshadowed by the drop of the exhibitor and attendee metrics, suggesting that 2026 will present similar industry challenges to those experienced throughout 2025.
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The 43-day government shutdown during October and November 2025 disrupted air travel for 5.2 million passengers in total, according to data from Airlines for America. The widespread impacts of the shutdown played a role in the depressed Q4 metrics, given the importance of air travel to the trade show industry. The beginning of 2026 has already brought another government shutdown, albeit a much shorter three-day stint this time. It remains to be seen whether small governmental disruptions will become the norm, or if another long-term shutdown is a factor that planners will have to account for in 2026. Regardless, trade show planners can be optimistic about the introduction of the Aviation Funding Solvency Act last November. If the bill passes, it will reduce air travel disruptions during future government shutdowns by ensuring that air traffic controllers and FAA workers continue to receive pay no matter the status of the government.
Check out the full Dashboard in the March issue of TSE Magazine. Subscribe to receive a copy today at https://tsx.magserv.com/cgi-bin/subscribe.
To submit show data to be included in TSE’s quarterly analysis, use this link: https://tradeshowexecutive.com/dashboardentryform.
