Six Stats to Know Right Now
- Travis Stanton
- Apr 4
- 2 min read
Storylink Creative recently invited hundreds of exhibit and event marketers to complete its 2025 Industry Outlook Survey. Read on to see six of the most important stats from this year's data.
75%
Three-fourths of companies are exhibiting at the same number of trade shows (or more) in 2025. More specifically, they plan to exhibit at an average of 41.3 trade shows per year, per research conducted by Storylink Creative, with an average per-show budget of $94,249.39. Some companies that report cutting back on traditional trade shows are shifting their investment into hosting their own private events, road shows, user groups, and other corporate events that allow them more dedicated time with clients and prospects without their competitors just across the aisle.
25%
One-quarter of companies are experiencing cuts to their annual exhibiting budgets, with decreases averaging roughly 12% compared to 2024. Considering that many exhibit-related costs are on the rise, marketers must consider strategic cost-containment efforts. Having said that, the vast majority (75%) of respondents report their budgets have remained the same or increased for 2025, which is on par with research from Exhibitor Magazine, which found 43% of marketers have maintained their budgets while an additional 27% are working with bigger budgets than they were last year.
57%
Considering Exhibit City News recently reported that electrical labor, material handling, booth furnishings, exhibit hall wifi, and show labor costs are all on the rise, it's not surprising that many marketers are pinching pennies. The most popular approach to cutting exhibit-related expenses is sending fewer reps to staff events, with 57% of respondents planning for smaller booth staffing teams in 2025. Other popular cost-containment measures include: reducing exhibit’s structural weight/complexity (43%), reducing/eliminating event sponsorships (32%), and reducing the square footage of booth spaces (29%).
73%
Despite the aforementioned budget cuts and cost-containment efforts, nearly three-fourths of respondents say they are “very confident” (38%) or “somewhat confident (35%) that their exhibit-marketing efforts will yield better returns in 2025 than they did in 2024. This sentiment is echoed by Exhibitor Magazine readers, 92% of which felt similarly optimistic.
26%
Roughly one-fourth of companies have definite or tentative plans to build a new exhibit in 2025, down slightly from the typical 30-35%. That indicates more exhibitors will be exploring ways to refurbish existing booths or reconfigure owned assets to extend the life of their exhibits in 2025 and beyond. Having said that, this provides an opportunity for companies who do invest in new builds to own the shows at which they exhibit, bringing something new, innovative, and attention-getting to compete with competitors' same-old stands.
63%
More than six in 10 survey respondents indicated they are under increased pressure to provide hard data related to the success and performance of their exhibit marketing programs. However, when asked to rate the confidence in their ability to provide that data on a scale of one to 10, respondents averaged a 4.6, indicating that additional tools and resources are required to meet this demand from internal stakeholders.
