Tradeshow organizers zero in on registration, badges and ceremonies, while attendees are looking for that “peak moment” that brings back 85 percent of them, a Freeman executive said in a research presentation at IMEX America 2025.
More than 60 people filled the seats at Insights Theater and put on headphones to hear Freeman’s trends report on the opening day of IMEX, the global meetings and events exposition held Oct. 7-9 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
Ken Holsinger, Freeman’s senior vice president of strategy, says show management doesn’t have control over a lot of costs, and topping that list is customer acquisition costs. Most shows are lucky to see 30 percent of attendees return the next year.
“The price of admission is pretty steep. What is their experience? That’s hard to define. Our attendees narrowed in on learning, networking and commerce,” Holsinger cites during his 40-minute session. “Number one among the younger generation is making those connections.”
Commonly called the “X factor,” it’s something that makes one event stand out over another. Organizers often think of experience as multi-sensory moments, striking décor, or high-tech activations, the report notes. But Freeman’s research shows that these experiential elements aren’t always the way to deliver an experience to remember.
“Did you experience a peak moment? If we can help them achieve that peak moment, they’ll come back,” Holsinger emphasizes.
About 40 percent of 2,198 attendee respondents said they experienced that moment, though organizers believe it’s twice that number.
The expense of opening ceremonies and keynote speakers may not achieve desired results. Gala events with loud music and plentiful alcohol are not necessarily conducive to networking. Attendees aren’t flying in for morning “fun runs.” None of those came up among reasons to attend a show, Holsinger notes.
That’s not to say you should throw away the flash and flourish. Just recognize differences between associations hosting professional society conferences and tradeshows versus corporate brands hosting user conferences and employee events.
“The question for registration is, ‘What are your core objectives?’ Did we meet your objectives? When you see that happen, you see a significant return of attendees,” Holsinger says.
For many convention attendees, the experience is more about objectives than atmosphere. Their top comments were about networking and making connections (28 percent); product and service exploration (25 percent); and learning and inspiration (25 percent).
When asked about negative experiences at live events, one-third of attendees cited difficulty navigating the space and poor wayfinding. Organizers largely agreed (35 percent).
Attendees ranked “confusing expo floor layout” and “challenges finding vendors” as their second and third sources of frustration. Organizers barely flagged them, pointing instead to poor quality of food and lack of pre-event communication as top friction points.
Freeman’s report recommends the following actions:
- Consider experience through the lens of learning, networking, and commerce.
- Bring the X factor by personalizing aspects of the attendee experience.
- Reframe immersive experiences as active experiences.
- Embrace new opportunities for active, hands-on interaction.
