3 Exhibition Industry Trends for 2022

We are often asked about our predictions regarding event, trade show, and exhibition industry trends. Here are the top 3 developments.

Exhibition Industry Trends in 2022

By all accounts, the last 22 months have been difficult for most everyone in the meetings and events industry. While COVID poses ongoing challenges, our entire team and the many video, audio, lighting, and stage design professionals we partner with are optimistic about how 2022 will unfold.

Here in Las Vegas, exhibitors and attendees have been meeting face to face again and are ready for exhibitions and trade shows to make a complete comeback – while taking into account valuable lessons learned during the pandemic.

Below, I’ll share our top 3 predictions regarding trade show and exhibition industry trends for 2022. 

In-Person Shows Are the Name of the Game

For some time now, we’ve been seeing lots of pent-up demand for face-to-face, in-person trade show experiences. Exhibitors rely on trade shows and exhibitions to introduce new products, increase brand awareness, and generate sales. Attendees, in turn, attend trade shows seeking opportunities to learn about those new products, as well as connect and build community.

While virtual events are a great backup for in-person events, the desire for and value created from face-to-face live events can’t be beat. For this reason, the industry will continue to do everything it can to move the industry’s recovery forward with a steadily increasing number of in-person trade shows, conferences, and nightclub live events this spring and into the summer and fall of 2022.

We’ll see thoughtful, tech-forward solutions that facilitate scalable in-person opportunities with the health and safety of event exhibitors and attendees in mind.

Attendees Expect Innovative Event Experiences

As the exhibition and events industry rebounds in 2022, it will need to meet heightened attendee expectations in a post-pandemic era. One of the most critical exhibition industry trends involves producing event experiences that feel fresh and new to attendees who are tired of Zoom meetings and want to be both entertained and educated.

The event and exhibition industry is expected to register a CAGR of 3.9% from 2021 to 2026, in large part due to advanced technologies and immersive technologies that are taking the customer experience to new heights. To that end, in 2021 TST developed Immersive LED Cubes for use in trade show booths and at conferences and nightclub live events. Immersive LED Cubes are three separate, state-of-the-art LED video walls that function as a self-contained units and create an immersive experience.

Immersive LED Cubes can have three different image sources or one seamless, three-sided video wall full of animation, video images, and moving graphic elements. Streaming content can even be changed from hour to hour during an event.

Immersive LED Cubes turn an exhibit booth into a show stopper. In fact, some people are using them as the best photo booth their attendees have ever seen. Our clients — and their attendees — love them.

Las Vegas Will Continue as the Industry Leader

Las Vegas has long been a leader in the meetings and events industry, and this leadership will continue into 2022. As more and more events are scheduled into 2022, TST and our partners throughout Las Vegas will continue to help event attendees build confidence in the value and safety of in-person events. In addition, we’ll set the stage, modeling how events can look and feel and showcasing the opportunities and experiences that only Las Vegas can offer.

All of us at TST are optimistic about what the future holds in 2022 and beyond. Reach out to talk about your next trade show or event. Together, we’ll make sure you achieve your business goals — and wow your attendees.

Industry Tips and Trends

TST is the total show production solution for anyone who hosts, plans, manages, or produces trade shows, conferences, and nightclub live events. Our production capabilities include audiovisual design, installation, and staffing and operation. Our services include video, audio, lighting, rigging, staging, computer services, labor sourcing, and gear rentals.

In the rapidly changing event industry, what you know and who you know are everything. We know Las Vegas and the Pacific Southwest. We know all the venues inside and out. We have the loyal network that opens the right doors when it matters most. In an industry where almost anything can go wrong, we make sure everything goes right.

Also, join our mailing list, and once a month we’ll send you a newsletter by email that includes valuable event production resources — industry best practices, tips, and tricks — to help you plan your next trade show, conference, or nightclub live event.