Trade Shows Prioritize Relationships Over Lead Generation
A SITE PULSE survey of 657 respondents shows buyers and suppliers value trade shows for different business goals.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Business Travel
Live Poll
Do you plan to attend a major trade show in the next year?
Buyers rank building and deepening existing relationships as the top function of trade shows, with 43.3% selecting it. Suppliers, hotels and destination organizations instead prioritize lead generation and sales pipeline development.
Why it matters
The divergence between buyers and suppliers signals a mismatch in expectations that can shape how events are planned, sponsored and measured. Understanding these priorities helps organizations allocate budgets toward the outcomes their counterparts actually value.
The SITE PULSE survey drew 747 responses, with 657 analyzed across four core groups. Cost and budget constraints were cited as the main challenge by 46.1% of respondents, and only 9.3% identified education and development as the top trade show function.
The players
Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE)
SITE is an international professional association for incentive travel, meetings and events planners that conducts industry research such as the SITE PULSE survey series.
The details
Respondents were asked to identify the single most important function trade shows serve for their business. Contracting and closing business accounted for 25.7% of corporate buyer priorities, while destination management companies and destination marketing organisations leaned toward lead generation at 43.4% and 44.4% respectively.
Timeline
The survey expects trade show importance to shift over the next three years, with 59.5% of respondents anticipating growth.
Industry Landscape
The SITE PULSE survey series, run by the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, has become a recurring benchmark for how incentive travel and meetings professionals assess trade show value. This edition's record 747 responses extend that longitudinal view into the current gap between buyer relationship goals and supplier lead-generation goals.
Event planners weighing trade show participation can use these findings to clarify whether their goal is deepening existing client ties or generating new leads before committing budget. Suppliers and destinations may need to align sales messaging with the relationship-building priorities that buyers report.
The takeaway
Trade shows deliver different value depending on which side of the table you sit on. Aligning your event goals with your counterparts' priorities can make participation more productive.
Further reading
Explore more on Business Travel to see how event priorities shape corporate trip planning.
Source note: This article includes information reported by TravelDailyNews International.
Live Poll
Do you plan to attend a major trade show in the next year?
