New Research Reveals Shifts in Trade Show Revenue Mix

A new analytical framework and report breaks down exhibition organizer income into five segments. Former UFI CEO Kai Hattendorf has developed the “5 S Model for Organizer Sales Segmentation,” as a way to address the long‑standing challenge of standardizing how the industry measures and ranks the various revenue streams of trade show companies and event organizers.

The 5 S Model

At the center of the framework are five revenue categories that aim to give organisers, investors, and planners a shared language for understanding how exhibitions generate value.

• Space Sales: Revenue from selling raw floor space, priced per square foot and differentiated by location and visibility.
• Sign-up Sales: Paid participation revenue such as registration fees, ticketed conference tracks, and hybrid access packages.
• Services Sales: Add-on exhibitor and visitor services including booth construction, logistics, AV/IT, matchmaking services, lead retrieval, onsite branding, and F&B.
• Sponsorship Sales: Revenue from marketing partnerships, tiered packages, and branded content opportunities.
• Subscription Sales: Recurring income from memberships, digital communities, research, directories, and premium content.

The model is particularly useful for understanding the revenue of companies that organize their own shows at both venues they manage and other venues. The German Messes (large convention centers) fall under this category.

It can also be applied to other types of business events.

Initial Data Findings

The initial report includes anonymized data from 31 global organizers, ranging from publicly listed companies to association-owned organizations. It reveals a sector shifting away from its historical dependence on floor‑space sales and toward more diversified, service-driven income.

Space sales currently account for 63% of organizer revenue, but that share is expected to fall to 57% by 2028, according to the report. Hattendorf notes that the long‑term trajectory is even more dramatic than the near‑term forecast: “if the current trajectory continues, the share of space sales will fall below the 50% mark in the first half of the 2030s — or earlier, if the trends shaping customer behavior that the report identifies accelerate.”

Meanwhile, services, sign-up revenues, and subscription-based products are expanding steadily, each representing tens of millions of dollars in commercial repositioning across the global ecosystem. Service sales is actually the industry’s fastest-growing segment, and while subscriptions may only be only a small part of the revenue mix, it is strategically important for long-term retention. 

Sponsorship sales are increasing, but the report reveals a steep decline among the most sponsorship-heavy organisers. “As a general line: The more traditional the business model, the bigger the growth projection, while the more diverse business models see that segment maxed out for themselves or at least under pressure,” said Hattendorf.

Hattendorf Transitions to JWC Leadership

On Monday, Hattendorf announced he is entering a new professional chapter, joining exhibition industry consultancy JWC as managing partner. He will join Sebastian Witt who will take on the same role. After 18 years as CEO, Co-founder Jochen Witt will step back from the day-to-day business taking on the role of executive chairman, and current chief operating officer, Dr. Gerd Weber, will assume the role of CEO to ensure continuity. The new structure will be effective in January 2026.

In a video posted on Linkedin, Hattendorf revealed he has become a shareholder in JWC and frames the move as a way to continue the work he has done — including the 5S Model — since departing UFI at the end of 2024.