The Trade Group
The Trade Group is a privately held, full-service event marketing company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, specializing in custom trade show exhibits, event production, experiential marketing, and branded environments for enterprise clients across eight verticals globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersCarrollton, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Trade Group does
The Trade Group is a privately held, full-service event marketing company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Grapevine, Texas. The company operates from a 350,000 sq ft state-of-the-art facility that combines design, engineering, graphics production, fabrication, and project management under one roof, delivering integrated turnkey solutions for trade shows, corporate events, experiential marketing activations, and permanent branded environments across North America, Europe, and Asia.
The Trade Group serves enterprise and mid-market clients across eight core verticals — Aviation, Automotive, Cybersecurity, Food & Beverage, Gaming, Healthcare, Home Improvement, and Residential & Construction — with vertical-specialized account executives acting as dedicated single points of contact. The core product portfolio comprises Exhibits (custom trade show booths, reusable systems, branded displays), Events (full-service event production including venue selection, AV/lighting, broadcast, staging), Experiences (experiential marketing activations), and Environments (showrooms, offices, retail spaces). Two add-on services differentiate the offering: Exhibit IQ (AI-powered camera-based booth analytics measuring foot traffic, dwell time, and interactions, launched Fall 2024) and the Exhibit Management Program (EMP) with companion EMP Connect platform (inventory storage, maintenance, show-to-show shipping).
Revenue is generated primarily through project-based fees for exhibit fabrication, event production, experiential marketing, branded environments, and installation/dismantle services, supplemented by recurring analytics revenue from Exhibit IQ. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution is exclusively direct enterprise field sales via vertical-specialized account executives, supported by content marketing, case studies, video, industry PR, and presence at major industry events. Marquee clients include Pokémon, Ubisoft, Meta, Cloudflare, DreamHack, DR Horton, ClosetMaid, Tulip Cooking, Battlestate Games, Wargaming, and Konami. The company operates under GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation (2021) and is GDPR compliant, with no external institutional investors, parent company, or acquisition activity disclosed.
The Trade Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Trade Group
- Legal name
- The Trade Group
- Website
- https://tradegroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- The Trade Group is a privately held, full-service event marketing company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, specializing in custom trade show exhibits, event production, experiential marketing, and branded environments for enterprise clients across eight verticals globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Trade Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trade Show & Event Marketing Services
- NAICS
- Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Trade Shows & Exhibitions (Booths, Show Management) (BPAFAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Trade Show & Exhibition Marketing (Booth Design/Build) (MPAAAGAC), Modular & Portable Display Systems (Pop-Ups, Tension Fabric, Kits) (THAHAHAC), Booth Maintenance, Refurbishment & Reuse Programs (THAHAHAM), Graphics Production & Large-Format Printing (Banners, Wraps, Signage) (THAHAHAG), Lighting, LED Walls & Digital Signage for Booths (THAHAHAI)
Keywords
Where The Trade Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Carrollton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Trade Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Exhibit Design & Fabrication: Custom trade show booths, reusable systems, and branded displays. One-time project-based revenue with potential for repeat engagements through the Exhibit Management Program.
- Event Production Services: Full-service event management including venue selection, AV/lighting, labor management, registration, broadcast, talent management, and analytics. Project-based engagements.
- Experiential Marketing: Branded event experiences for launches, conferences, hospitality, live sessions. Custom engagement activations including VR and AR experiences.
- Branded Environments: Design and fabrication for showrooms, offices, retail spaces with wood/steel fabrication, graphics production, technology integration.
- Installation & Dismantle Services: I&D labor, material handling, shipping, electrical, flooring services for trade shows and events.
- Exhibit IQ Analytics: Camera-based booth analytics service powered by AI. Provides real-time data and comprehensive reports for trade show performance optimization.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
The Trade Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Trade Group designs, engineers, fabricates, and installs custom trade show exhibits and reusable booth systems for enterprise clients across multiple verticals. It also provides full-service event production (venue selection, AV/lighting, broadcast, labor, registration, analytics), experiential marketing activations, branded environments for permanent spaces, and the proprietary Exhibit IQ AI-powered booth analytics service. Operations are anchored by an in-house 350,000 sq ft facility combining design, engineering, graphics, fabrication, and project management under one roof, with global reach across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Product overview
The Trade Group is a full-service event marketing company offering a unified portfolio of services for trade shows and events. The core offerings include Exhibits (custom trade show booths and reusable display systems), Events (full-service event production), Experiences (experiential marketing activations), and Environments (branded environments for permanent installations). The company also offers Exhibit IQ, an AI-powered booth analytics add-on service that uses camera-based analytics to track foot traffic and booth interactions. The Exhibit Management Program (EMP) provides ongoing storage and logistics management for exhibits between shows. The company operates from a 350,000 sq ft facility combining design, engineering, graphics, fabrication, and project management under one roof.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Exhibit IQ: Booth analytics service powered by cameras and AI that tracks foot traffic, dwell time and booth interactions while maintaining privacy. Provides real-time data and comprehensive reports to maximize trade show performance.
- Exhibit Management Program (EMP)
Products and services
- Exhibits Custom trade show booths, reusable booth systems, and branded displays designed to stand out on the trade show floor and support client goals. Built for enterprise exhibitors across verticals.
- Events Full-service event production from creative direction through execution, including venue selection, AV and lighting, labor management, broadcast and production, talent management, and analytics. Used for launches, conferences, hospitality, livestream events, and championships.
- Experiences Experiential marketing activations creating branded event spaces for launches, conferences, hospitality, live sessions, and audience engagement. Includes custom engagement activations incorporating VR and AR experiences.
- Environments Branded environments for showrooms, offices, retail spaces, and other locations where brand impressions matter. Includes labor, design, wood and steel fabrication, engineering, graphics production, and technology integration.
- Exhibit IQ AI-powered booth analytics service using camera-based technology and computer vision to track foot traffic, dwell time, and booth interactions while maintaining privacy. Provides real-time data and comprehensive reports to maximize trade show performance before, during, and after an event.
- Exhibit Management Program (EMP) Ongoing program for managing exhibit inventory, storage, maintenance, repair, and logistics between trade shows. Booth assets are stored in The Trade Group's facility, with the team pulling, staging, and preparing exhibits for each event, plus show-to-show shipping.
- Installation & Dismantle (I&D) Installation and dismantling labor services for trade show exhibits, including labor calls, on-site check-in, hourly tracking, material handling, shipping, electrical, and flooring services with safety-focused execution.
- Production Services Strategy development, stage management, and technical supervision for moving content and audience to action, including broadcast/livestream, staging with lighting and video, and content capture.
Quantifiable outcome
- Tulip Cooking added more than 25 new dealers and significantly increased web and social traffic at KBIS 2023
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use The Trade Group
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Trade Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature3 records
The Trade Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Event-Architecture.comminorSister company of The Trade Group, mentioned in privacy policy as affiliated entity
- LiveEventOS.comminorSister company of The Trade Group, mentioned in privacy policy as affiliated entity
- eGencyGlobal.comminorSister company of The Trade Group, mentioned in privacy policy as affiliated entity. Won AMA DFW 2019 Event Marketer of the Year together (OP Live)
- OPLiveDallas.comminorSister company of The Trade Group, mentioned in privacy policy as affiliated entity
Scale indicators19 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Trade Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Freeman: Largest privately held event/experience services company in North America, providing end-to-end exhibit design, fabrication, and event production. Directly competes with The Trade Group for large enterprise trade show and corporate event budgets.
- GES (Global Experience Specialists): Major exhibit and event services provider offering custom exhibit design, fabrication, and on-site services to enterprise exhibitors. Closely comparable in service mix, customer profile (large enterprise exhibitors), and geographic reach.
- Hamilton Exhibits: US-based custom exhibit design and fabrication house serving enterprise trade show clients. Comparable in size, vertical specialization approach, and custom-build service offering.
- Czarnowski: Long-standing exhibit and event marketing company providing custom exhibits, environments, and event production. Comparable 40+ year operating history and enterprise client base.
- M Exhibits: Custom trade show exhibit house focused on design, fabrication, and event support for mid-market and enterprise clients. Direct competitor in the same custom-build niche.
- 3D Exhibits (Cort Events): Experiential marketing and exhibit fabrication company producing custom exhibits and branded environments. Comparable in service portfolio and enterprise client targeting.
- MC2 (MC-squared): Experiential marketing agency delivering exhibits, events, and environments for B2B and B2C brands. Overlapping service categories and enterprise client overlap.
- Jack Morton Worldwide: Global brand experience agency producing events, exhibits, and experiential campaigns. Directly comparable in producing large-scale experiential events for enterprise brands like Pokemon, Meta, and Ubisoft.
- George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: Large experiential marketing agency specializing in corporate events, exhibits, and brand experiences for global enterprise clients. Direct competitor in the experiential/exhibit production space.
- Sparks: Experience marketing agency within the Freeman family offering exhibits, events, and digital experiences for enterprise clients. Comparable in service breadth and enterprise targeting, with overlap in tech and gaming clients.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Trade Group social profiles
Digital presenceThe Trade Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
The Trade Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Trade Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
The Trade Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Trade Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Trade Group
What does The Trade Group do?
The Trade Group designs, engineers, fabricates, and installs custom trade show exhibits and reusable booth systems for enterprise clients across multiple verticals. It also provides full-service event production (venue selection, AV/lighting, broadcast, labor, registration, analytics), experiential marketing activations, branded environments for permanent spaces, and the proprietary Exhibit IQ AI-powered booth analytics service. Operations are anchored by an in-house 350,000 sq ft facility combining design, engineering, graphics, fabrication, and project management under one roof, with global reach across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Is The Trade Group a public or private company?
The Trade Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Trade Group founded?
The Trade Group was founded in 1986. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is The Trade Group based?
The Trade Group is headquartered in Carrollton, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Trade Group make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Exhibit Design & Fabrication is the primary driver. The others are event Production Services, experiential Marketing, branded Environments, installation & Dismantle Services and exhibit IQ Analytics.
Who are The Trade Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Freeman, GES (Global Experience Specialists), Hamilton Exhibits, Czarnowski, M Exhibits, 3D Exhibits (Cort Events), MC2 (MC-squared), Jack Morton Worldwide, George P. Johnson Experience Marketing and Sparks.
Does The Trade Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Trade Group.
What industry is The Trade Group in?
The Trade Group's product category is Trade Show & Event Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAGAD, Trade Shows & Exhibitions (Booths, Show Management), with a secondary code of MPAAAGAC, Trade Show & Exhibition Marketing (Booth Design/Build). Its NAICS code is 54185.