Changing Environment of Exhibitions

Highlighting the Power of the Exhibition Marketing Channel

The 2016 Changing Environment of Exhibitions study dives into the minds of executives who are involved in the decision to exhibit at business-to-business exhibitions, as well as other promotional and advertising decisions for their company. This series of 10 fact sheets documents the use of business-to-business exhibitions today, the level of participation now compared to several years ago as well as executives’ plans to exhibit looking out to the next several years. Issues addressed include:

What other marketing and sales tactics are exhibitors using and what is the business-to-business exhibition channel’s position in this mix?
Is digital still ascending in use and what impact does that have on exhibiting?

See the collection of reports in this series on the CEIR Store.

Fact Sheet One: Exhibitions Are Highly Valued in Achieving Marketing and Sales Objectives

This particular fact sheet identifies the most urgent, high priority marketing and sales objectives exhibiting companies are striving to achieve today. It reports on how valuable exhibitors find using business-to-business exhibitions to help achieve these objectives.

Fact Sheet Two: Marketers Intend to Maintain or Expand Number of Exhibitions

This fact sheet reports on the level of exhibition participation today compared to several years ago as well as exhibitor plans for exhibiting in the next several years.

Fact Sheet Three: Marketers Find Exhibitions an Essential Marketing and Sales Tactic

This report documents current sales and marketing practices of exhibiting companies, revealing extensive integrated marketing efforts. Business-to-business exhibitions rank second as a marketing and sales tactic being used, and are identified as the primary channel by 77 percent of surveyed exhibitors.

Fact Sheet Four: Exhibitions Deliver Unique Value Not Provided by Other Marketing Channels

This report provides insights into why business-to-business exhibitions enjoys high ranking as a primary marketing and sales tactic in today’s world of integrated marketing. Virtually all surveyed exhibitors – 97 percent – identified one or more unique values this channel delivers.

Fact Sheet Five: Exhibitions Valued for Marketing Hard-to-Reach Industry Sectors and Professionals

This particular report documents what percentage of exhibitors face the major task of extensive marketing efforts to reach their target industry sectors or professionals and the high value these exhibitors place on using the business-to-business exhibition to reach these target audiences.

Fact Sheet Six: Factors that Drive the Decision to Exhibit

This report documents the factors exhibitors use when making exhibiting decisions, including whether to exhibit or expand participation as well as whether to reduce the level of participation or discontinue exhibiting. This fact sheet offers essential benchmarks for exhibition organizers and exhibitors.

Fact Sheet Seven: Positive Outlook of an Industry or Company Linked to Increased Exhibition Activity

This report explores the relationship between exhibitor executive perceptions about the state of the global and U.S. economies as well as the outlook of their industry sector and company. Results indicate that the more positive the outlook an exhibitor has about one’s industry sector or one’s business, the greater the level of participation reported in business-to-business exhibitions.

Fact Sheet Eight: Exhibitions Foster Business Relationships

This report explores how business relationships are evolving in today’s dynamic and digitally transformative times. It identifies how business-to-business exhibitions support exhibitor business relationship objectives in this environment.

Fact Sheet Nine: Use of Exhibitions and Exhibitor Sales Channel

This report reflects positive linkage between sales channels and participation in business-to-business exhibitions. It profiles exhibition company sales channel practices and differences by industry sector.

Fact Sheet Ten: Exhibitor Profile – Overall Compared to Power Users

This report highlights similarities and differences between exhibitors in general and power users of the business-to-business exhibition channel. It includes a snapshot of key profile characteristics and motivations for exhibiting.