Introduction: The U.S. B2B event market baseline

Introduction

The U.S. B2B trade show industry faces a paradox that defies conventional business logic – 74% of Fortune 1000 exhibitors increased event budgets in 2025, yet only 6% express confidence in their ability to convert event leads—down from 9% the previous year.

This isn’t a perception problem. It’s a measurement and execution crisis hiding in plain sight.

The $15.78bn U.S. B2B event market continues growing toward $17.3bn by 2028, yet 80% of trade show leads never receive any follow-up at all. And when exhibitors do follow up, 40% wait 3-5 days—long after the critical conversion window closes.

Key findings

• The “72-hour follow-up window” is actually 24-48 hours—after which conversion probability decays 20% daily
• Pre-event engagement determines 76% of attendee agendas, yet most exhibitor investment focuses on booth experience
• System maturity (manual vs. digital vs. integrated CRM) creates measurable 2-3x performance deltas
• Exhibitors track volume metrics while outcomes depend on quality metrics
• 80% lead leakage isn’t intentional abandonment—it’s process failure

The 2025 U.S. B2B event market baseline

Flagship event performance 2025

As the $15.78B U.S. market grows and 74% increase spending, exhibitor confidence collapses to just 6%.

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Cite this Report: momencio (2026). “2026 State of U.S. B2B events report” Available at: https://www.momencio.com/guide-book/state-of-b2b-events/