Gary Shapiro: why trade shows matter and how to get them right
I ran powerful trade show CES for decades. Bill Gates told me once that trade shows were key for Microsoft. Now, author Robyn Davis is onto something.
Gary Shapiro has witnessed companies investing in trade shows for 35 years. Some see massive returns, while others fail to plan or execute, squandering the opportunity. Notable success stories include Bill Gates, Intel, AMD, and Nvidia, which used trade shows to boost their businesses. Shapiro himself ran CES, the world's most influential trade show, for over three decades.
Held annually in Las Vegas, recent editions attracted over 150,000 attendees, including 55,000 international visitors from 140 countries, 6,000 media members, and 4,000 exhibitors. Attendees average 29 meetings, with 68% making new clients or business contacts—nearly nine new contacts per attendee.
Despite the industry's scale, trade shows receive minimal attention compared to advertising, digital marketing, and social media. While advertising is easier to measure and often more lucrative for agencies, trade shows provide a unique human connection that digital marketing algorithms cannot capture. Face-to-face interactions enable customers to see product demos, ask questions, meet people behind the products, and form relationships.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the value of in-person connections, as virtual interactions often felt like a cellophane barrier.
Trade shows offer a multi-faceted experience, functioning as vertical events, a temporary marketplace, media platform, conference, product launch, networking event, and competitive intelligence operation. However, exhibitors must approach trade shows strategically rather than tactically. They should determine objectives, select the right shows, identify target customers and prospects, train staff, design exhibits around specific goals, and measure outcomes.
According to Robyn Davis' book "Exhibit Smarter," companies often approach trade shows without a strategic plan, leading to activity without results. Successful exhibitors plan ahead, choose appropriate shows, identify desired contacts, train staff, create targeted exhibits, and measure results. Davis covers various aspects of trade show participation, from selecting shows to managing teams and handling issues that arise during large-scale events.
Despite their importance, trade shows often remain underappreciated. The industry comprises an estimated 1,300 B2B trade shows annually in the U.S., with 2025's top 100 events hosting over 100,000 exhibitors across 41 million net square feet of exhibit space. The trade show and exhibition industry generated $16.5 billion in direct spending that year. Companies should view trade shows as investments, not mere expenses, and require a clearer framework to evaluate their benefits.
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