Which Trade Shows Are Growing or Shrinking in 2026?

Why Year-to-Year Trade Show Comparison Matters?

Eight of the nine shows below grew their exhibitor count from 2024 to 2026. The ninth, CPHI China, lost one in five exhibitors over the same span, after peaking harder than any other show in the set. Trust that single two-year number on its own, and you can end up budgeting for a booth at a show whose real trend has already turned.

ExhibitorsData tracks exhibitor counts by year and, wherever a show runs more than one edition, by city too. The nine shows here carry confirmed exhibitor counts for both 2024 and 2026, pulled from the same year-wise exhibitor list database that covers more than a thousand events total, spanning dozens of countries and every major industry category on the platform. The same method applies to any show in that database, including yours.

Which trade shows have confirmed exhibitor counts for 2024 and 2026?

Sorted by change, largest gain first:

Eight rows read positive, one runs sharply negative, and the spread across the eight growers alone still swings from HKTDC Food Expo’s 2% to IOTE Expo Shenzhen’s 45%. These nine shows also span very different industries, pharma, packaging, electronics manufacturing, IT and telecom, professional AV, and food distribution, across the US, China, and Hong Kong. Two things in this table need a closer look before anyone quotes a single number from it: the PACK EXPO row only tells one city’s story, and CPHI China’s decline hides a sharper reversal than the percentage alone shows.

Also read- 2027 Trade Show Index with 1,300+ Verified Exhibitor Lists

Why does PACK EXPO show three different exhibitor counts for 2026?

Pack Expo is presented in Chicago, Las Vegas and will be presented for the first time in Philadelphia in 2026, and the table provided here provides an overview of Chicago.

• Chicago has shown growth from 1883 exhibitors in 2024 to 2662 exhibitors in 2026, which represents a total increase of 41%.
• Las Vegas has experienced a loss of exhibitors from 1744 in 2025 to 1137 in 2027, representing a decrease of 35%
• In Philadelphia, Pack Expo will be held for the first time in 2026 with 502 exhibitors, approximately one-fifth the number of exhibitors seen at the same event in Chicago in 2026.

Since Las Vegas is operated on a unique odd-numbered year schedule, a direct comparison to 2026 cannot occur; therefore, this is also where we see the largest decrease in exhibitors during the period under review.

Which trade shows peaked in 2025 before pulling back?

CPHI China is the most extreme example. In addition, there are three additional shows (Channel Partners, InfoComm, and HKTDC Food Expo) that are using the same pattern at a much lower level.

➤ CPHI China: 3,139 attendees in 2024; 3,335 in 2025; 2,518 in 2026. A total decrease of 20 percent from the attendance figures in 2024. An overall decrease of 24 percent compared with the number of attendees in 2025.

➤ Channel Partners: 223 attendees in 2024; 319 attendees in 2025; and, again, 286 attendees in 2026.

➤ InfoComm: 832 attendees in 2024; 875 in 2025; 856 in 2026. And then it dropped to 701 by 2027.

➤ HKTDC Food Expo: 738 attendees in 2024; 767 attendees in 2025; and 752 attendees in 2026.

The same trend has emerged in each of the respective markets: pharmaceutical, IT/telecom channel distributors, professional audio-visual systems, and food and beverages. As such, the above data illustrates the trend but does not identify the reason behind this trend.

Also read- The Rise of Buying Groups at B2B Trade Shows

The Rise of Buying Groups at B2B Trade Shows

Check the city breakdown before believing the overall brand number. If an event has more than one version (e.g., “Chicago” vs. “New York”), then each version should have its own line for that city. The combination of both could be masking a declining portion of the event with a rising portion.

Take into account the year(s) between the two points you are comparing. Comparing two years directly may cause a true decline to appear as moderate growth or a significant reversal to appear as mild when there is a missing year.

Compare your company’s growth rates to other companies within the same industry instead of relying solely on the percentage shown on the show. A 45 percent increase for a smaller show and a 3 percent increase for a larger show can produce similar increases in the total number of attendees at the event.

Compare exhibitor counts to buyer turnout. In many cases, exhibitor growth does not follow buyer attendance. Therefore, do not make your decision based solely upon exhibitor counts.

Run this same check across your full shortlist at once, through an exhibitor list database, API access, or lead consultancy services, rather than opening one product page at a time.

Frequently asked questions

Did PACK EXPO grow or shrink from 2024 to 2026?

Depends on the city. Chicago grew 41%, from 1,883 to 2,662 exhibitors. Las Vegas, on its own odd-year cycle, dropped 35%, from 1,744 in 2025 to 1,137 in 2027.

Is there one trade show that had the biggest increase from 2024 to 2026?

The answer is yes; however, it is IOTE Expo Shenzhen, which increased by 45% or 288 (from 636 in 2024 to 924 exhibitors), and was the greatest percentage increase of the nine shows we have data for both years.

Are some of these trade shows at or near the top of their growth curve prior to 2026?

The answer is yes. All four of those trade shows peaked in 2025. They were Channel Partners, InfoComm, HKTDC Food Expo, and CPHI China. Then each of them declined in 2026. CPHI China experienced the largest decline of the four.

Was there a trade show whose exhibitor count decreased from 2024 to 2026?

There was only one trade show that decreased in exhibitor count; it was CPHI China. CPHI China decreased by 20%; i.e., its number of exhibitors decreased from 3,139 in 2024 to 2,518 in 2026.

Where can I find year-wise exhibitor counts for other trade shows?

Every event’s product page on ExhibitorsData lists exhibitor counts by year and by city wherever a brand runs more than one edition. Browse the full set by sector, by region, or across all upcoming events to find the same breakdown for a show on your own shortlist.

Run this same city-by-city, year-by-year check against your own 2027 shortlist. Start at the ExhibitorsData homepage, pull the year-wise numbers for each show on your list, check current list pricing for the ones that matter, and book against the real trend rather than one headline figure. Our case studies page covers how other teams ran this same comparison before committing a budget.