What XPO Exhibitions does

XPO Exhibitions is New Zealand's largest independently owned exhibitions organiser, operating 19 of the country's largest B2B trade shows and consumer exhibitions across verticals including construction (BuildNZ, Designex), manufacturing and engineering (EMEX, SouthMACH), food technology and packaging (Foodtech Packtech, Fine Food NZ), gift and homeware (NZ Gift & Homeware Fairs), logistics and materials handling (MHL, plus the forthcoming Logistics Automation New Zealand), workplace safety (National Safety Show), facilities management (Facilities Integrate), baby and parenting (The Baby Show), home and garden (Waikato Home & Garden Show), and marine (NZ Boat Show). Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Auckland, the company sells exhibition space and sponsorship packages to a base of 3,500+ exhibiting companies and serves 400,000+ registered trade visitors across its portfolio, supplemented by consumer ticket sales for public-facing shows.

Revenue is generated primarily through exhibition space rental (quote-based booth and sponsorship packages billed under multi-year contracts), consumer ticket sales at public shows, in-house advertising placements across 10 industry magazines and digital channels, and transaction-based fees from the GiftTrader.co.nz B2B platform (37,000+ products). The company operates a proprietary technology ecosystem including the XPO Leads App for QR-code badge scanning and lead qualification, event-specific smartphone apps, a 300,000+ profile visitor registration database with detailed buyer attributes audited by the Circulations Audit Bureau of Australasia, and the year-round GiftTrader.co.nz and Source Online B2B platforms.

The portfolio was assembled through four key acquisitions: DMG World Media NZ (2010, the founding transaction), Hayley Media (2013), North Port Events (2019, which added the consumer shows division and integrated leadership), and the Hutchwilco NZ Boat Show (2022). A 2026 joint venture with Hannover Fairs Australia, a subsidiary of Deutsche Messe AG, will introduce Logistics Automation New Zealand powered by CeMAT, marking XPO's first major international partnership. The company is 100% NZ-owned (Spillane family-led), operates with 40+ staff, and secured a 5-year lease (2023-2028) at Auckland Showgrounds via a High Court victory that reaffirmed the venue's events-use protections.

Name

XPO Exhibitions

Legal name

XPO Exhibitions Limited

Website

https://xpo.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

XPO Exhibitions is New Zealand's largest independently owned exhibitions organiser, operating 19 major B2B trade shows and consumer exhibitions across construction, manufacturing, food, retail, logistics, and marine verticals, serving 3,500+ exhibiting companies and 400,000+ registered trade visitors annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Show & Exhibition Organization

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specific B2B Trade Show Organizers (THAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Consumer & Public Shows (B2C) Organizers (THAHABAC), Trade Shows & Exhibitions (Booths, Show Management) (BPAFAGAD), General Consumer Expos & Trade Shows (MPAGAFAA)

Keywords

• Trade show organization
• B2B exhibitions
• Consumer exhibitions
• Event management services
• Lead retrieval software

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Exhibition Space Rental: XPO generates revenue by selling exhibition space (booths, shell schemes, sponsorship packages) to exhibiting businesses at its 19 trade and consumer shows. Pricing varies by show, location, and stand size. Sponsorship tiers include VIP customer invitations, seminar speaking slots, and preferential brand placement across event websites, magazines, and marketing campaigns.
2. Visitor Ticket Sales (Consumer Shows): Consumer-focused events such as The Food Show, Baby Show, and Boat Show charge admission tickets to general public attendees.
3. Marketing and Sponsorship Services: Additional revenue streams include media campaign placements across trade magazines, national newspapers, billboards, and digital channels; seminar and conference sponsorships; and exhibitor networking function packages. XPO publishes 10 industry show magazines in-house.
4. Online B2B Platform Fees (GiftTrader.co.nz): Year-round B2B e-commerce platform accessible exclusively to verified retailers who attend at least one XPO trade show annually. The platform generates transaction-based revenue from product listings and sales facilitated between wholesalers and retailers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

XPO Exhibitions owns and organises 19 of New Zealand's largest and longest-running B2B trade shows and consumer exhibitions, providing face-to-face event platforms where businesses showcase products to qualified buyers across verticals including manufacturing, engineering, construction, food technology, packaging, logistics, safety, facilities management, gift and homeware retail, baby products, home improvement, and marine. Revenue is generated primarily through exhibition space rental, sponsorships, advertising in 10 in-house industry magazines, consumer ticket sales, and a year-round B2B e-commerce platform (GiftTrader.co.nz).

Product overview

XPO Exhibitions is New Zealand's largest exhibitions organiser, operating 19 of New Zealand's largest B2B trade shows and consumer exhibitions. The portfolio spans multiple industry verticals including gift and homewares (NZ Gift & Homeware Fairs), food and hospitality (Foodtech Packtech, Fine Food New Zealand, The Food Show), building and construction (BuildNZ, Designex), engineering and manufacturing (EMEX, SouthMACH), logistics and materials handling (MHL, Logistics Automation New Zealand), safety (National Safety Show), facilities management (Facilities Integrate), baby and parenting (The Baby Show), home and garden (Waikato Home & Garden Show), and marine (New Zealand Boat Show). The company also offers technology products including the XPO Leads App for lead retrieval, GiftTrader.co.nz online B2B platform, event smartphone apps, and manages the online Gift Magazine. The portfolio was built through acquisitions of DMG World Media NZ's shows (2010), Hayley Media's shows (2013), North Port Events shows (2019), and the Hutchwilco NZ Boat Show (2022).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• XPO Leads: Lead retrieval technology application that allows exhibitors to scan visitor badges, capture contact details, ask follow-up questions, survey prospects, and take orders via smartphone.

Products and services

• NZ Gift & Homeware Fairs (Autumn, Winter, Spring) Trade-only exhibitions where retailers source the latest product lines in giftware, homeware, jewellery and toys, timed to align with international Gift Fair calendars (Valentines, Easter, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Christmas).
• Foodtech Packtech The only trade show in New Zealand dedicated to the Food Technology and Packaging Technology industries, providing a long-running forum for new equipment launches.
• BuildNZ Leading NZ trade show for the building and construction industry bringing building professionals and construction innovators together to share ideas, showcase products, and develop business relationships.
• Designex Trade show co-located with BuildNZ focusing on design and architecture professionals in the building and construction industry.
• EMEX (Engineering, Machinery & Electronics Exhibition) Trade-only exhibition serving the engineering, machinery and electronics sectors with thousands of engineering business visitors and exhibitors.
• The National Safety Show NZ's largest event dedicated to workplace health and safety, helping businesses understand legislation and explore new products, services and innovations.
• Materials Handling & Logistics Expo (MHL) Trade show for materials handling, warehousing, and logistics professionals in New Zealand.
• SouthMACH The South Island's premier technology trade show celebrating NZ manufacturing, serving engineers, machinists and technical operators.
• South Island Hospitality Show Dedicated hospitality exhibition providing catering, restaurant and accommodation industries with the latest products, services and equipment.
• The Food Show (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch) NZ's largest once-a-year foodie affair featuring food, drink, and kitchen equipment, with cooking demonstrations and show specials held across three cities.
• The Baby Show NZ's largest parenting exhibition covering bumps, births, babies and beyond, with expert tips, show specials, and parent-friendly facilities.
• Waikato Home & Garden Show Consumer show featuring products and services for building, renovating, decorating and landscaping homes in the Waikato region.
• Fine Food New Zealand Trade-only event featuring cutting-edge food, drink, and equipment from leading producers with industry trends and networking opportunities.
• Facilities Integrate Trade exhibition for NZ facilities management and system integration industries, focused on making buildings smarter, safer and more efficient.
• New Zealand Boat Show (Hutchwilco) Iconic NZ boat show featuring marine and fishing industries with boat displays, awards and gala dinner, and education on boating safety.
• Logistics Automation New Zealand (powered by CeMAT) New pan-industry trade show launching November 2026 at Auckland Showgrounds focusing on robotics, automation, intralogistics, warehousing, and supply chain management solutions.
• XPO Leads App Smartphone app for exhibitors enabling permission-based scanning and capture of lead contact details via visitor badge QR codes, with custom qualification questions, next-step actions, and order attachment capabilities, exported in real time via a cloud-based web interface.
• GiftTrader.co.nz Online B2B selling platform providing 24/7 access for verified retailers to research and purchase products from Gift Fair wholesale exhibitors, integrated with the online Gift Magazine. Over 3,000 unique retailers securely log on monthly.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.81B in visitor purchasing power across XPO's Auckland shows (independent Fresh Info report)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• Hannover Fairs Australia (Deutsche Messe AG)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2026XPO Exhibitions entered a landmark joint venture with Hannover Fairs Australia (a subsidiary of Deutsche Messe AG, Germany's largest exhibition organiser) to launch Logistics Automation New Zealand, powered by CeMAT. The new trade show will debut in November 2026 at Auckland Showgrounds, focusing on robotics, automation, intralogistics, warehousing, and supply chain management. CeMAT brings international brand participation from Germany, North America, Australia, and Asia Pacific. Deutsche Messe AG operates events in 48+ locations with sales in 110 countries. Hannover Fairs Australia has operated since 2000 and owns/operates 15 events.
• Premiere Exhibitions (Dave & Veronica Gibbs)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2023Dave and Veronica Gibbs of Premiere Exhibitions continued to lead delivery of the NZ Boat Show following XPO's acquisition. They have deep industry relationships and successfully delivered the show on behalf of AWSC for decades.
• Hutchwilco (Naming Rights Sponsor)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Hutchwilco continued as naming rights sponsor of the NZ Boat Show under XPO's ownership. Surtees was developing the Grand Prize boat package for the 2023 show.
• Auckland Water Ski Club (AWSC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2022XPO acquired the Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show from long-time owner Auckland Water Ski Club in November 2022. AWSC had operated the show since 1956. Dave and Veronica Gibbs of Premiere Exhibitions continued to lead show delivery for the 2023 edition.
• North Port Events (Dona & Gavin White)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019XPO acquired nine of North Port Events' shows in 2019, including The Baby Shows, The Food Shows (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch), Fine Food New Zealand, Facilities Integrate, The Waikato Home & Garden Show, and Autumn HomeXPO. North Port's GM Rebecca Stewart headed up Consumer Events post-acquisition. The acquisition made XPO the largest independently owned B2B and B2C exhibitions organiser in Australasia.
• Hayley MediacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013In 2013, XPO acquired an additional portfolio of industry trade shows from Hayley Media, expanding its show portfolio to 13 brands prior to the North Port acquisition.
• DMG World Media NZ Ltd (Daily Mail Group UK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010XPO Exhibitions was established in January 2010 through the acquisition of the majority of DMG World Media NZ's trade shows (a subsidiary of the Daily Mail Group UK). This founding acquisition gave XPO its initial portfolio of trade show brands including NZ Gift & Homeware Fairs, EMEX, Foodtech Packtech, BuildNZ, National Safety Show, MHL, SouthMACH, and South Island Hospitality Show.
• German New Zealand Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMany of XPO's trade shows host 'Made In Germany' pavilions, championed by the German NZ Chamber of Commerce. A new Poland pavilion was opening at BuildNZ 2026.
• Circulations Audit Bureau of AustralasiaminorOthersIndependent auditor of visitor attendance statistics for XPO trade shows. All XPO trade show visitor statistics are audited by this body, providing credibility to exhibitor ROI claims.
• Retail NZminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNZ Gift Fairs and Retail NZ co-present free seminars at the Gift & Homeware Fairs to help retailers grow their businesses, covering topics such as 'Websites and Online Marketing for your Retail Store' and 'Visual Merchandising'.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Hyve Group: Hyve Group is a London-listed international events company running B2B exhibitions across construction, mining, and manufacturing — verticals where XPO also operates (BuildNZ, EMEX, SouthMACH). Comparable mid-sized exhibition organiser with similar booth-rental and sponsorship revenue model.
• Comexposium Group: Comexposium is one of Europe's largest exhibition organisers, operating shows across food, retail, security, and construction. Its vertical-by-vertical trade show model and booth-rental economics closely parallel XPO's portfolio strategy.
• RX Global (Reed Exhibitions): RX Global operates a global portfolio of trade and consumer exhibitions across multiple industry verticals including gifts, food, and manufacturing. It is a direct horizontal competitor to XPO's B2B trade show model and operates events with similar booth-rental and sponsorship revenue mechanics.
• Clarion Events: Clarion Events is a UK-based global exhibition organiser with a diversified B2B and consumer show portfolio. Its business model of owning and operating vertical-specific trade shows closely mirrors XPO's approach across gift, retail, and industrial verticals.
• ITE Group: ITE Group organises trade exhibitions in emerging and established markets across construction, mining, food, and hospitality. Its regional-show strategy in non-Western markets offers a comparable model to XPO's dominance within a single geography.
• Informa Markets: Informa Markets is the world's largest exhibitions organiser, operating hundreds of B2B trade shows across verticals including construction, food, healthcare, and manufacturing — directly overlapping XPO's vertical portfolio. It competes with XPO in the broader Australasian market and represents the scale benchmark XPO is exposed to.

Direct peers

• Deutsche Messe AG (Hannover Messe): Deutsche Messe AG operates CeMAT, the world's leading intralogistics and supply chain management trade fair, and now partners with XPO for Logistics Automation New Zealand. As XPO's strategic JV partner, Deutsche Messe is both a peer (exhibition organiser with same model) and a collaborator in the NZ market.

Others

• Fiera Milano: Fiera Milano operates one of Europe's largest exhibition complexes and a portfolio of B2B trade shows across design, construction, and hospitality. While geographic markets differ, its mix of owned venues, proprietary shows, and trade magazine publishing parallels XPO's integrated model.
• EEAA (Exhibition and Events Association of Australasia): EEAA is the regional industry body that has awarded XPO multiple 'Best Trade Show in Australasia' awards. It serves as the comparator framework and awards body that benchmarks XPO against broader Australasian competitors including Informa, RX Global, and other event organisers.

Regional players

• Australian Exhibition Services: Australian Exhibition Services operates consumer and trade exhibitions in Australia across home, lifestyle, and food verticals. As a regional peer, it represents the cross-Tasman competition XPO would face if it expanded into Australia, and competes for multi-national exhibitor marketing budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/xpoexhibitions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/xpo-exhibitions-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 XPO Exhibitions