Derse
Derse is a 77-year-old, privately held Milwaukee-based experiential marketing agency that designs, fabricates, and manages trade show exhibits, corporate events, and branded environments for Fortune 500 and large enterprise clients across diversified verticals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1948
- HeadquartersMilwaukee, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Derse does
Derse is a 77-year-old, privately held experiential marketing agency headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, specializing in trade show exhibits, corporate events, branded environments, exhibit rentals, and virtual experiences. Founded in 1948 and operating with 501–1,000 employees, the company delivers end-to-end program execution spanning strategy, purposeful creative design, fabrication, program management, installation, and dismantlement. Derse serves large enterprise and Fortune 500 clients across diverse verticals — financial services (Charles Schwab), healthcare (GE Healthcare, Hologic, Regeneron), industrial (John Deere, Eaton, Moen), consumer packaged goods (Mondelez/Oreo, Gildan), technology (Qualcomm, SentinelOne, Fujifilm), transportation (United Airlines, Interstate Batteries), and hospitality (IHG).
The company's business model is professional-services based: project fees are quoted per engagement, with pricing driven by exhibit size, complexity, materials, and scope of services. Distribution is anchored by direct enterprise field sales and an RFP-driven go-to-market motion, supplemented by dedicated client portals (iQ Client Portal and SmartCentre Portal) that support recurring, multi-year programs and lead retrieval. Derse differentiates through in-house full-service fabrication (rather than reliance on third-party vendors) and has expanded its geographic footprint via the September 2024 acquisition of Nebula Exhibits in Poznan, Poland, providing European full-service fabrication and a Derse Germany GmbH entity. The firm has invested in vertical specialization through a dedicated healthcare division and the October 2025 hire of a VP of Client Development – Healthcare, while also offering Virtual Experiences for remote audiences. Notable industry recognition includes Event Marketer FAB 50 (2025), Exhibitor FindIt Awards (#1 in Thought Leadership and #1 in Creativity & Key Differentiators), Deloitte Top 75, EDPA EDDIE Best End-to-End Experience, EcoVadis Sustainability Certification (Committed Partner), and EXHIBITORLIVE Best of Show (2025).
Derse firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Derse
- Legal name
- Derse, Inc.
- Website
- https://derse.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1948
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Derse is a 77-year-old, privately held Milwaukee-based experiential marketing agency that designs, fabricates, and manages trade show exhibits, corporate events, and branded environments for Fortune 500 and large enterprise clients across diversified verticals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Derse is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milwaukee
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Derse business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Trade Show Exhibits and Events: Derse generates revenue through project-based fees for designing, building, and managing trade show exhibits and events. Services include strategy, creative design, fabrication, installation, and dismantlement. Pricing is quote-based and varies by exhibit size, complexity, and show requirements.
- Rental Exhibits: The company offers trade show exhibit rentals providing flexibility for exhibitors who prefer not to own properties. This provides recurring revenue opportunities across multiple shows.
- Branded Environments: Design and creation of corporate interiors and customer experience centers. Project-based engagements for branded physical spaces.
- International Services: Following the acquisition of Nebula Exhibits in Poznan, Poland, Derse now offers full-service fabrication capabilities in Europe, enhancing international trade show and event offerings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom exhibit fabrication and event services priced per project |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Derse product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Derse is an experiential marketing agency that designs, builds, and manages trade show exhibits, corporate events, and branded environments for enterprise clients. Its offerings span Exhibits, Events, Environments, Rental booth solutions, International trade show support, and Virtual Experiences, supported by Program Management, Strategic Services, Purposeful Creative, and Customer Experience Design practices.
Product overview
Derse is an experiential marketing agency offering a unified portfolio of trade show exhibits, events, and branded environments. The core offerings include Exhibits (design, build, and manage), Events (national meetings and brand experiences), Environments (corporate interiors and experience centers), Rental (trade show booth rentals), International (global trade show support), and Virtual Experiences. Supporting these core services are expertise offerings in Program Management, Strategic Services, Purposeful Creative, and Customer Experience Design. Client-facing digital portals include iQ Client Portal, SmartCentre Portal, and Rental Pricing Portal. The September 2024 acquisition of Nebula Exhibits expanded their European fabrication capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Exhibits Design, build, and management of trade show exhibits handling the entire process from strategy and creative to fabrication, installation, and dismantlement for enterprise exhibitors.
- Events National sales meetings and large-scale brand experiences delivered by in-house strategy, creative, and event production teams for enterprise clients.
- Environments Branded environments including corporate interiors and customer experience centers designed to inspire and engage audiences on a long-term basis.
- Rental Exhibits Trade show booth rental solutions including custom and standard configurations with accessories and audiovisual options for exhibitors who prefer not to own properties.
- International Trade Show and Event Services International trade show and event offerings, including full-service European fabrication capabilities enabled by the Nebula Exhibits acquisition in Poznan, Poland.
- Virtual Experiences Virtual event and experiential marketing solutions designed for remote audience engagement alongside Derse's physical event offerings.
- Program Management End-to-end program management coordinating trade show and event programs from kickoff through installation with global reach.
- Strategic Services Data-driven planning and insights that align exhibits and events with business goals and quantify ROI for trade show programs.
- Purposeful Creative Creative design services producing purposeful, audience-driven creative concepts for trade show exhibits and brand experiences.
- Customer Experience Design End-to-end customer journey design that creates engaging, authentic brand experiences throughout the exhibit/event lifecycle.
Quantifiable outcome
- Clarios CES exhibit engaged 400+ attendees with gamification activation, 69% survey completion rate
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Derse
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Derse technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Derse partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Stamm MediaminorCollaboration partner for Clarios CES exhibit gamification activation. Stamm Media provided on-site installation support for the interactive game component that engaged attendees with trivia about Clarios products and electrification.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Derse competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Trade Group: The Trade Group provides custom exhibit design, fabrication, and event production for trade shows and corporate events. Mid-sized direct competitor in the same custom-exhibit category.
- Sparks: Sparks is a brand experience agency offering trade show exhibits, events, and digital experiences for enterprise clients. Operates in the same project-based, full-service model and targets an overlapping Fortune 500 buyer base.
- GES (Global Experience Specialists): GES provides exhibition services, custom exhibits, and event management for trade shows and corporate events globally. It competes head-to-head with Derse for exhibit fabrication RFPs from enterprise clients at major conventions.
- Freeman: Freeman is the largest global brand experience and event company, offering end-to-end trade show exhibits, event production, and digital experiences for the same Fortune 500 buyer base Derse targets. Closest direct competitor by scale, full-service offering, and customer overlap.
- George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: GPJ designs and delivers brand experiences, events, and exhibits for enterprise clients worldwide. Closely comparable in scale, full-service model, and target Fortune 500 marketing buyer.
- Jack Morton Worldwide: Jack Morton is a global brand experience agency producing events, exhibits, and immersive experiences for major brands. Comparable in offering mix (strategy, creative, production) and enterprise client type.
- Czarnowski Collective: Czarnowski is a brand experience agency combining exhibit fabrication, event production, and digital experiences. Direct competitor for trade show exhibit design and build at enterprise events.
- MC2 (MC-squared): MC2 designs, fabricates, and manages trade show exhibits and branded environments for enterprise clients. Comparable exhibit-build offering and customer mix to Derse.
- Hamilton Exhibits: Hamilton Exhibits designs, fabricates, and installs custom trade show exhibits and museum environments. Closely comparable as a custom fabricator serving enterprise trade show programs.
Others
- Convention Data Services: CDS provides registration, lead retrieval, and event data services for trade shows. Adjacent technology provider frequently used by trade show organizers and exhibit vendors (including Derse's iQ portal ecosystem) rather than a direct exhibit competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Derse social profiles
Digital presenceDerse compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Derse financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Derse leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Derse subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Derse funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Derse M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Derse
What does Derse do?
Derse is an experiential marketing agency that designs, builds, and manages trade show exhibits, corporate events, and branded environments for enterprise clients. Its offerings span Exhibits, Events, Environments, Rental booth solutions, International trade show support, and Virtual Experiences, supported by Program Management, Strategic Services, Purposeful Creative, and Customer Experience Design practices.
Is Derse a public or private company?
Derse is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Derse founded?
Derse was founded in 1948. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Derse based?
Derse is headquartered in Milwaukee, United States, in the North America region.
How does Derse make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Trade Show Exhibits and Events are the primary driver. The others are rental Exhibits, branded Environments and international Services.
Who are Derse's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Trade Group, Sparks, GES (Global Experience Specialists), Freeman, George P. Johnson Experience Marketing, Jack Morton Worldwide, Czarnowski Collective, MC2 (MC-squared) and Hamilton Exhibits. Convention Data Services is listed as an others.
Does Derse have an API?
No public API is recorded for Derse.