DALLAS — The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) released The Performance Benchmark Playbook: Large B2B Exhibitions 2026, which looks at B2B exhibitions with 200,000 net square feet or more of paid exhibit space.
Trade Show Executive (TSE) connected with Nancy Drapeau, IPC, CEIR’s Vice President of Research, to discuss their findings.
Key Statistics:
- Large events have a 55% average net profit margin
- 80% of large events report a profit
- The events surveyed have a $12.5 million median gross revenue
- 58% of large events track exhibitor Net Promoter Score (NPS)
The Big Picture:
With the large share of these exhibitions reporting a profit, and large B2B exhibitions posting the strongest average net profit margins CEIR has measured across the size spectrum, scale continues to be a financial advantage, even as growth in exhibitor and attendee counts is slowing down.
The report unpacks how a fixed, sellable inventory of booth space at volume translates into outsized returns — and what disciplined organizers do differently to protect those margins.
NPS adoption increases with event size, suggesting that larger organizers are more likely to leverage this metric as part of their event performance management practices. As a result, they are also more likely to realize the positive outcomes associated with systematic attendee and exhibitor sentiment tracking and benchmarking over time.
ANDREW: What does this report say about large B2B exhibitions — and how are they performing differently when compared to small, midsize and healthcare B2B exhibitions, the subjects of previous CEIR benchmark reports this year?
NANCY: Larger shows tend to offer a broader range of experiences and services, while also generating a greater share of revenue from exhibit booth sales. The ability to sell exhibit space at scale typically supports stronger net profit margins.
Healthcare events span a wide range of sizes, from small specialty meetings to large-scale exhibitions. At these events, education and networking are as important as exhibits, and the revenue mix reflects this balance.
Attendee registration fees account for a share of gross revenue that is nearly equal to exhibit sales revenue.
International participation also tends to increase with show size, making larger events more likely to have a global focus and audience.
In 2025, events across all size categories — including healthcare events — reported impacts from broader business environment headwinds that affected attendance and exhibit sales performance. Consistent with CEIR Index trends, however, more events either matched results from the prior edition or continued to grow than experienced declines.
One notable finding is the outlook among large-size show organizers. Compared with organizers of smaller events, they express greater optimism about business conditions and performance prospects in 2026, indicating confidence in their ability to sustain or advance growth despite ongoing market uncertainties.
Related. CEIR’s Latest Reports Shed Light on Small, Midsize and Healthcare B2B Exhibitions
ANDREW: Could you explain how scale is a financial advantage? When does it cease to be one?
NANCY: Scale creates a financial advantage because it allows fixed costs to be spread across a larger revenue base. The point at which that advantage begins to diminish is often tied to capacity constraints.
If an event has reached the limits of its venue and can no longer expand exhibit space, growth from exhibit sales may plateau.
For this reason, organizers should consider securing access to additional space on a contingency basis when demand indicates potential for further growth.
Beyond exhibit sales, sponsorships and digital marketing opportunities can provide additional revenue streams. However, not all revenue opportunities contribute equally to profitability.
The key is identifying offerings that generate meaningful revenue relative to the resources required to deliver them. Sponsorship programs with minimal staffing and operational requirements can be highly profitable, while customized sponsorships, although potentially lucrative, can also consume significant resources.
Organizers should carefully evaluate both the revenue potential and delivery costs of these opportunities to maximize their financial return.
ANDREW: What’s the single biggest revenue opportunity large-show organizers are leaving unaddressed today?
NANCY: That is a difficult question to answer definitively. Given that exhibit booth sales account for the largest share of revenue at most large trade shows, one area of opportunity may be sponsorships and experiential activations that extend beyond the physical exhibit booth.
Many exhibitors and brand marketers are looking for ways to increase visibility, engage attendees and achieve specific marketing objectives that cannot always be met through exhibit space alone. Sponsorships, branded experiences and other event touchpoints can help address those goals while creating incremental revenue opportunities for organizers.
When designed thoughtfully, these activations can also enhance the attendee experience by adding educational, networking or interactive elements that increase the overall value of participation. The key is identifying sponsorship opportunities that deliver meaningful value to sponsors, attendees and organizers alike.
ANDREW: Why do so few large shows rotate locations compared with small and midsize events, and what’s the risk when they do?
NANCY: The primary reason is practical: As shows grow, fewer venues are capable of accommodating them. Large exhibitions require significant exhibit space, meeting rooms, hotel inventory, transportation infrastructure and services, which limits the pool of viable host destinations.
Rotating locations can also introduce risks. Organizers must carefully evaluate whether a new destination can attract a critical mass of attendees and exhibitors. Factors such as drive-in attendance, air accessibility, travel costs, hotel availability and the overall appeal of the destination all influence participation.
For many events, consistency of location helps maintain attendance patterns and exhibitor confidence. A move to a new city can create growth opportunities, but it can also disrupt established attendee behavior if the destination is less convenient or less attractive to the target audience.
In the current environment, where inflation and travel costs remain important considerations, venue and destination decisions have become even more consequential. Organizers must balance growth opportunities against the potential impact on attendance, exhibitor participation and the overall event experience.
Related. New Events Industry Study Emphasizes the Need for Outcome-Based Sales Approach
ANDREW: How does staffing and digital infrastructure need to evolve as a show scales past 200,000 NSF?
NANCY: As a show grows beyond 200,000 net square feet, both staffing and digital infrastructure become increasingly critical to managing scale and delivering a strong event experience.
On the staffing side, larger events require increased resources across virtually every function. Exhibit and sponsorship sales, along with operations, tend to have the largest teams, reflecting the importance of achieving ambitious revenue goals and managing the complexity of a growing event. Larger shows typically have more exhibitors, a broader range of on-site activities and more complex logistical requirements.
Marketing and on-site floor management also become increasingly important as events scale. Marketing teams are responsible for attracting the qualified attendees exhibitors expect to engage, while floor management teams oversee show operations, ensure compliance with exhibitor guidelines and support exhibitor success. Education programs often expand as well, requiring dedicated staff to manage content development, speaker relations and session delivery.
Digital infrastructure must evolve alongside staffing. Large events can be overwhelming for attendees to navigate, making digital tools essential. Mobile apps, event websites and matchmaking platforms help participants discover relevant content, connect with one another and maximize the value of their time onsite.
Today, digital engagement extends well beyond event logistics. Large shows increasingly rely on technology to support exhibitor marketing, attendee engagement, networking and lead generation and capture before, during and after the event. As events grow in size and complexity, these digital capabilities become a core component of the attendee and exhibitor experience rather than simply a supporting service.
ANDREW: Given the external headwinds in the data, what should large-show organizers prioritize in 2026?
NANCY: Be mindful of persistent inflation and higher travel costs. Factor these realities into attendee and exhibitor pricing strategies to keep participation affordable and demonstrate sensitivity to stakeholder needs.
On the attendee side, focus on where demand is strongest. Identify the industries, customer segments and geographic regions most likely to attend, while developing contingency plans for areas at greater risk of decline — particularly across international markets. Closely monitor registration trends and marketing campaign performance in real time, and be prepared to shift resources toward the channels, messages and markets generating the strongest results.
On the exhibitor side, if tariff trends persist, organizers with significant international exhibitor participation should closely track potential impacts on renewal and sales performance. Be prepared to offset any softness by targeting domestic companies and alternative markets with similar offerings.
At the same time, consider ways to keep international exhibitors and attendees engaged with the event and its community if travel or trade barriers limit their ability to participate in person.
Use benchmarks as the guideposts to set goals and monitor progress while campaigns are in play. The CEIR Performance Benchmarking Playbook is a useful resource for goal setting.
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