Exhibitor Group

What Exhibitor Group does

Exhibitor Group is a privately held B2B media and education company headquartered in Rochester, Minnesota, that serves the trade show and corporate event marketing industry. Its core assets are EXHIBITOR Magazine (a monthly publication covering booth staffing, show selection, exhibit design, budgeting, and measurement), EXHIBITOR*LIVE* (the flagship annual face-to-face conference scheduled for Denver in 2027 with more than 100 educational sessions and a supplier Exhibit Hall), the Certified Trade Show Marketer (CTSM) program—the only university-affiliated professional certification in the exhibit marketing industry, requiring 23 approved sessions—and the FindIt Marketplace B2B directory for trade show products and services.

The company runs additional live and digital products including Certification Power Week (a five-day, 30+-session professional development conference in Cleveland), eTrak Online Education (university-affiliated virtual sessions), Trade Show Foundations (a full-day introductory workshop), and three recurring awards programs: the 13th Annual Portable/Modular Awards 2026, Corporate Event Awards, and All-Star Awards. The technical stack is content-and-events-centric rather than software-centric; there are no disclosed APIs, integrations, SDKs, or proprietary technology platforms.

Exhibitor Group's business model is multi-stream and event-driven. Revenue is generated through magazine subscriptions, event registration (with tiered early-bird pricing such as $645 savings on EXHIBITOR*LIVE* 2027), CTSM certification fees, award entry fees structured by deadline ($195 early bird, $245 regular, $295 late for Portable/Modular Awards 2026), and advertising across the magazine, ExhibitorOnline.com, and FindIt Marketplace. The company operates a community-led, event-driven go-to-market model, monetizing both sides of the market—practitioner professionals and trade show suppliers—through content, certification, live events, recognition, and a directory.

Name

Exhibitor Group

Legal name

Exhibitor Group

Website

https://exhibitoronline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Exhibitor Group is a privately held B2B media and education company that serves trade show and corporate event marketing professionals through EXHIBITOR Magazine, the EXHIBITOR*LIVE* annual conference, CTSM certification, eTrak online learning, and the FindIt Marketplace directory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Show & Event Marketing Media & Education

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry-Specific B2B Trade Show Organizers (THAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Exhibition & Trade Show Management (Conference-Adjacent) (THAHACAF)

Keywords

• Trade show marketing
• Event marketing education
• Professional certification programs
• Exhibit design awards
• B2B media publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Subscription revenue from EXHIBITOR magazine covering trade show and corporate event marketing topics including booth staffing, show selection, exhibit design, planning, budgeting, and measurement.
2. Award Program Fees: Entry fees for Portable/Modular Awards ($195-$295 depending on deadline), Corporate Event Awards, and All-Star Awards programs.
3. Event Registration: Revenue from EXHIBITOR*LIVE* conference registration, Certification Power Week sessions, and eTrak online education courses.
4. CTSM Certification: Certification fees for the Certified Trade Show Marketer program, the industry's only university-affiliated professional certification.
5. Advertising and Media Kit: Advertising revenue through the EXHIBITOR magazine and ExhibitorOnline.com, including the FindIt Marketplace directory.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Exhibitor Group publishes EXHIBITOR Magazine and operates ExhibitorOnline.com as the central B2B media brand for trade show and corporate event marketing professionals. It monetizes this audience through the annual EXHIBITOR*LIVE* conference, the Certification Power Week professional development event, the eTrak online learning platform, the university-affiliated Certified Trade Show Marketer (CTSM) certification program, the FindIt B2B supplier directory/marketplace, Trade Show Foundations workshops, and recurring industry awards programs (Portable/Modular Awards, Corporate Event Awards, All-Star Awards).

Product overview

Exhibitor Group operates as a unified platform for trade show and corporate event marketing education, consisting of EXHIBITOR Magazine (the core publication), EXHIBITOR*LIVE* (the annual flagship conference), eTrak Online Education (university-affiliated online learning), and CTSM (Certified Trade Show Marketer certification). The company also runs the FindIt Marketplace directory, Certification Power Week events, Portable/Modular Awards, and Corporate Event Awards programs. Together, these offerings provide a comprehensive ecosystem for exhibit marketing professionals seeking education, certification, industry recognition, and supplier discovery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EXHIBITOR Magazine Monthly B2B trade publication covering trade show and corporate event marketing topics including booth staffing, show selection, exhibit design, planning, budgeting, measurement, and industry trends. Available in print and digital editions with subscriptions.
• EXHIBITOR*LIVE* Annual Conference Flagship annual face-to-face marketing conference bringing together trade show and event marketing professionals for education, networking, and supplier discovery. Features more than 100 educational sessions, an exhibit hall showcasing industry suppliers, networking opportunities, and CTSM certification sessions. Next event scheduled for Denver, Colorado in 2027.
• eTrak Online Education University-affiliated online learning platform for trade show and corporate event professionals offering self-paced and live instructor-led sessions on event planning, logistics, marketing strategies, and negotiation skills.
• Certified Trade Show Marketer (CTSM) Certification Professional certification program for trade show marketing professionals, requiring completion of 23 approved sessions covering trade show marketing principles. Positioned as the only university-affiliated professional certification in the exhibit marketing industry.
• FindIt Marketplace B2B directory marketplace connecting buyers with trade show products and services across categories including exhibit producers, rental exhibits, modular systems, convention centers, audiovisual equipment, lead retrieval, and shipping/transportation services.
• Certification Power Week Five-day professional development conference for trade show and event marketing professionals featuring more than 30 sessions and workshops, networking options, and add-on experiences. Held at The Westin, adjacent to the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland.
• Portable/Modular Awards Annual industry award program honoring design excellence in portable, modular, and system exhibits. Features categories including Best Conceptual Design, Best Fabric Exhibit, Best In-Line Exhibit, Best Island Exhibit, Best Reconfigurable Exhibit, Best Rental Exhibit, Best Use of Graphics, Best Use of Technology, plus the Zeigler Award (top honor) and People's Choice Award. Open to exhibit designers and producers via paid entry.
• Corporate Event Awards Award program recognizing excellence in corporate event marketing and event management.
• Trade Show Foundations Full-day educational workshop covering the basics of trade show exhibiting, designed for newcomers to the trade show industry.

Quantifiable outcome

• 130.5% increase in leads across eight shows (Philips Home Healthcare Solutions case study)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Emerald (Emerald X): Emerald is a B2B media and events company that owns and operates trade shows, conferences, and content platforms across multiple verticals. Like Exhibitor Group, it combines owned events, content, and marketing services aimed at B2B audiences, and has been active in consolidating event media assets (most recently combining with Questex). Directly comparable as a multi-brand B2B event/media operator.
• BizBash: BizBash is a B2B media brand covering the event industry with news, content, and audience engagement tools for event professionals. It serves a similar professional community (event marketers and planners) and combines editorial content with industry resources, paralleling how EXHIBITOR Magazine and ExhibitorOnline.com serve trade show marketing professionals.
• Event Marketer (Informa): Event Marketer is a B2B media brand serving corporate event and experiential marketing professionals, now part of Informa. It overlaps closely with Exhibitor Group's content + community model and addresses adjacent practitioner segments within the event/experiential marketing universe.
• Questex: Questex operates a portfolio of B2B events, media brands, and digital communities serving specialized industries. Its model of vertical-specific events paired with content and marketing services closely mirrors Exhibitor Group's combination of EXHIBITOR*LIVE*, EXHIBITOR Magazine, and FindIt Marketplace. Recently announced a combination with Emerald, illustrating the strategic value of niche B2B event media.
• Trade Show News Network (TSNN): TSNN is an online trade show industry news and data platform covering exhibitions, conventions, and events worldwide. Comparable to Exhibitor Group's ExhibitorOnline.com as an industry-specific B2B information hub, with similar audiences of event marketers, exhibitors, and trade show organizers.

Broad incumbents

• Reed Exhibitions (RELX): Reed Exhibitions is a major global organizer of B2B trade shows and events, part of RELX. As a broad incumbent, it competes for exhibitor marketing budgets and supplier attention across industries, and its scale and digital platforms (including eventtech offerings) make it a benchmark for large-scale trade show operations comparable to Exhibitor Group's flagship EXHIBITOR*LIVE*.
• Informa (Informa Markets / Informa Connect): Informa is one of the world's largest B2B events, media, and information companies, operating hundreds of trade shows (including events previously owned by UBM). It is a broad incumbent in Exhibitor Group's space — overlapping in trade show organization, B2B media, and event marketing content — but at vastly larger scale and breadth. The recent Paul Miller appointment to lead the combined Emerald + Questex highlights Informa's competitive gravity.

Others

• IAEE (International Association of Exhibitions and Events): IAEE is the leading trade association for the exhibitions and events industry, providing education, advocacy, and certification programs (including CEM designation). It is comparable to Exhibitor Group because both serve the same professional community with education and standards-based programs, and it represents a parallel credentialing and community-building structure.
• BCD Meetings & Events: BCD Meetings & Events is a global corporate meetings and events management agency, recently publishing its 2026 Global Client Survey referenced in Exhibitor Group's news feed. While not a media or certification operator, it is an industry participant whose strategic priorities and event budget trends directly influence Exhibitor Group's advertiser and audience base.
• PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association): PCMA is a professional association for the meetings, conventions, and events industry offering education, certification (CMP), and a flagship annual Convening Leaders event. Comparable to Exhibitor Group as a community + education + certification + flagship conference operator targeting a related but distinct practitioner base (corporate event planners vs. trade show exhibitors).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ExhibitorGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/exhibitorgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Exhibitor Group