Marketplace Events

What Marketplace Events does

Marketplace Events is a North American consumer and trade show producer incorporated in Ohio and headquartered in Beachwood. The company organizes more than 125 business-to-consumer and trade events annually across 50+ markets in the United States and Canada, spanning four core categories: home and garden shows (65 events), holiday shopping shows (20+), sport and outdoor shows (17, expanding to 20 by 2027), and regional trade shows (21), with brands including Build Expo and Master Promotions held as wholly owned subsidiaries. Some flagship shows have operated in markets such as Seattle, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal for over 75 years.

The underlying operating model is event-centric rather than technology-centric: Marketplace Events runs a direct exhibitor sales force that contracts booth space, a consumer-facing ticketing operation through show websites, and a sponsorship sales team. The technology footprint consists of show websites, email marketing systems, and social media properties (689,000 Facebook followers; 180,000 Instagram followers) used for demand generation, with 5 million+ unique web visitors per year. There is no proprietary AI, APIs, or platform architecture; the business is essentially a media/events production and sales operation.

Revenue is generated through three streams: exhibitor booth sales (the primary stream, with 30,000+ exhibitors annually), consumer ticket sales, and sponsorship/marketing packages. The platform aggregates 2.2 million in-person attendees annually, of which 65% make a purchase at a show. The company is privately held following a 2025 acquisition by Clarion Capital Partners and has since pursued an aggressive acquisition-led growth strategy, adding Build Expo (December 2025), TravelShow Theater (May 2026, the largest deal in company history), and the Master Promotions subsidiary.

Name

Marketplace Events

Legal name

Marketplace Events LLC

Website

https://marketplaceevents.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Marketplace Events is a North American consumer and trade show producer operating 125+ annual events across 50+ markets in home and garden, holiday, sport, and trade verticals, connecting 30,000+ exhibitors with 2.2 million attendees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Show and Event Production Services

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Lifestyle, Home & Garden Shows (MPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Holiday, Seasonal & Christmas Markets (MPAGAFAL), Trade Shows & Exhibitions (Booths, Show Management) (BPAFAGAD), Local Community & Multi-Category Fairs (MPAGAFAO)

Keywords

• Consumer trade shows
• Home and garden shows
• Exhibitor booth sales
• Experiential event marketing
• Trade show production

Headquarters

HQ city

Beachwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Exhibitor Booth Sales: The primary revenue stream comes from selling booth space to exhibitors at the company's 125+ annual shows across home and garden, holiday shopping, sport and outdoor, and trade show categories. Exhibitors pay for physical exhibit space at events.
2. Consumer Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from selling tickets to attendees visiting the company's B2C home shows, holiday shopping shows, and other consumer events.
3. Sponsorship: Marketing and sponsorship opportunities offered to exhibitors and brands seeking to reach the company's 2.2 million annual attendees and 5 million unique web visitors. Sponsorships include digital advertising, show guide listings, and branded content.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Marketplace Events produces and operates more than 125 consumer and trade shows annually across 50+ North American markets, including 65 home and garden shows, 20+ holiday shopping shows, 17 sport and outdoor shows, and 21 regional trade shows. The company sells booth space to 30,000+ exhibitors and tickets to 2.2 million attendees each year, generating revenue from booth rentals, consumer ticket sales, and sponsorship packages.

Product overview

Marketplace Events is a market-leading B2C and B2B show producer operating a diversified portfolio of consumer and trade exhibitions across North America. The company organizes 125+ events including 65 home and garden shows, 20+ holiday shopping shows, 17 sport and outdoor shows (expanding to 20 in 2027), and 21 regional trade shows including Build Expo. The company offers exhibitor services including booth space, sponsorship opportunities, marketing solutions, and educational resources through ExhibiTALK. Events attract 2.2 million annual attendees and 30,000 exhibitors across 50+ markets, with some shows operating for over 75 years. Trade names include Build Expo and Master Promotions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Home and Garden Shows

Quantifiable outcome

• 65% of visitors make a purchase at company shows
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Bryan BaeumlerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCelebrity home improvement expert Bryan Baeumler has a partnership with Marketplace Events, appearing at company shows to engage with attendees and exhibitors.
• Habitat for HumanityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarketplace Events has an ongoing partnership with Habitat for Humanity, including fundraising initiatives, sweepstakes promotions, and charitable activities at shows.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Informa Markets: The exhibitions arm of Informa plc, running hundreds of B2B and consumer shows worldwide. Operates several home, lifestyle, and gift shows that directly overlap Marketplace Events' core categories, with much broader global scale.
• Reed Exhibitions: Owned by RELX, Reed runs a global portfolio of consumer and trade shows. Its lifestyle, holiday, and home-goods events compete with Marketplace Events' shows in North America and share the same exhibitor/attendee acquisition playbook.
• Messe Frankfurt: German-headquartered global trade-fair operator with consumer and lifestyle shows (e.g. Ambiente, Heimtextil). Competes for international exhibitor budgets and serves as the global benchmark for home/lifestyle exhibitions.
• Hannover Fairs (Deutsche Messe): Major German trade-fair organizer with building, industrial, and consumer events. Comparable in B2B trade-show production but at much larger scale and more international footprint.

Direct peers

• Emerald Holding: U.S.-listed operator of B2B trade shows and events with strong overlap in consumer lifestyle, home, and gift verticals. A direct comparable in scale and GTM model, especially for the Build Expo-style trade-show business.
• Clarion Events: UK-based independent exhibition organizer running consumer and trade shows in lifestyle, home, and gift categories. Closest analog as an independent, sponsor-style exhibition platform with a similar diversified consumer-show strategy.
• Tarsus Group: Global exhibitions business with consumer and B2B shows across home, lifestyle, and travel. Comparable mid-sized platform with a similar diversified-event portfolio and exposure to discretionary consumer spend.
• dmg events: Independent exhibitions company running lifestyle, home design, and consumer shows (including the Dubai Design District-linked events). Comparable consumer-show operator with a multi-category portfolio.

Emerging players

• Sandow Design Group: Operator of design-focused events and media properties (e.g. Design Miami, LuxeHome). Smaller and more design-luxury focused, but addresses the same high-end home/lifestyle exhibitor demographic.

Others

• National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) — International Builders' Show: Industry-association-owned trade show directly comparable to Marketplace Events' Build Expo regional events. Competes for building-product exhibitors and is a structural alternative channel for the same customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/homeshows
• Facebookfacebook.com/homeandgardenevents
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marketplaceevents

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marketplace Events