By Kai Hattendorf, founder & CEO, HTF Business Events Expertise:
At the heart of every global trade show lies a simple truth: trade shows follow trade. They arise where goods, services, capital, and ambition converge, where business needs physical platforms to meet, negotiate, and transact. For decades, the exhibition industry has expanded on the back of globalisation, with a steady rhythm of growing international participation, regional integration, and open markets. In 2024, the global exhibition industry reached its highest-ever revenue levels, celebrating a strong rebound from the disruptions of the pandemic years.
Yet, as 2025 unfolds, a different economic current is taking shape. The new US administration’s decision to impose sweeping import tariffs is sending tremors through the foundations of global trade – and by extension, through the global trade show industry. These tariffs are not symbolic gestures, they represent a fundamental shift in how the United States engages with the world economically, and their effects are already being felt in supply chains, business strategies, and international engagement. The recent HTF report, ‘How High US Tariffs Affect Global Trade – and Redraw the Global Trade Show Map’ explores these impacts through the lens of global exhibitions. It tells a story of change, challenge, and emerging opportunity.
The United States, given the size of its internal market and its central role in global supply chains, will continue to play a pivotal role in the global economy. But when trade becomes more difficult, trade adapts – and often, it reroutes. That’s precisely what’s likely to happen now. Global trade will quickly reconfigure itself in response to these new tariffs, with far-reaching consequences for international business events. Nations and companies are reevaluating their dependencies, pivoting towards alternative markets, and exploring new alliances. This shift is not just an economic response, it is a geographic one. The places where trade happens are changing. And the trade show industry – as it has always done – will move with them.
New trade corridors reshaping demand for engagement
Across the globe, new corridors of commerce are coming into focus. Countries are repositioning themselves not just as trading partners but as future event hosts, neutral conveners, and regional gateways. Here are five key bilateral relationships likely to deepen in this new landscape to illustrate the point: India and the UAE, China and Brazil, Japan and Australia, India and the UK, and Canada and Japan. These pairings are more than diplomatic niceties. They are built on complementary trade strengths – from Brazil’s agriculture to China’s machinery, or from India’s textile exports to the UK’s services sector. And they are often underpinned by active or emerging trade agreements.
These new trade corridors are also reshaping the demand for in-person industry engagement. Trade shows have always emerged where economic gravity pulls them. As goods and capital flow differently, so too will exhibitors and delegates. In this way, the reconfiguration of trade will lead directly to a reconfiguration of the global trade show map.
The US, for its part, remains a vital exhibition market, but the current trajectory suggests it may lose some of its international shine. With higher tariffs dampening foreign interest in US markets, many global firms may reduce their presence at American expos. Instead of sending large teams, they may opt for local partners or skip US-based events altogether. Simultaneously, American firms may face export headwinds and reassess their own international trade show strategies. The result? A subtle but measurable erosion of the US’s role as a global expo magnet, particularly for events that once relied heavily on cross-border participation.
In parallel, regions like Asia and the Middle East are rising in prominence. China has long been a growing player for exhibitions, but its current strategy includes actively promoting fairs focused on Africa and the Middle East. Countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia are investing heavily in next-generation venues and positioning themselves as global-neutral convening spaces. Dubai and Riyadh, for instance, are building hubs for multinational trade engagement, often in co-operation with regional and international organisers. Singapore, long recognised for its role as Southeast Asia’s MICE leader, continues to expand its portfolio of high-impact events linking Asia with Europe and the Americas.
This geographical shift is amplified by the growing role of regional and bloc-based trade structures. Agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and the pending EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement are creating new frameworks for predictable, tariff-free commerce among large and diverse markets. As HTF’s report notes, these blocs are not only influencing trade –they are becoming the scaffolding for future trade shows.
We are already seeing signs of this evolution. New exhibitions are being launched with specific regional alignments: ASEAN-Japan digital economy events, India-UAE industry expos in textiles and agriculture, EU-Mercosur business showcases, and CPTPP-wide platforms that connect Canada, Australia, Vietnam, and Mexico. These events go beyond commercial transactions. They serve as branding vehicles for the trade agreements themselves. Often supported by governments, they represent a fusion of economic diplomacy and industry promotion, with trade show organisers playing a central facilitation role.
In this emerging reality, exhibition professionals and B2B marketers must rethink not only where they operate, but how they align their strategies with macroeconomic developments.
Four calls to action
Let me share four clear calls to action. First, organisers must analyse their portfolios through a trade lens: examining where new bilateral flows are forming and which partnerships can be leveraged in marketing and sales planning.
Second, content and conference programming must evolve to reflect the themes and trade dynamics emerging from agreements like RCEP and CPTPP. These frameworks are becoming the reference points for economic integration and, increasingly, for face-to-face engagement.
Third, organisers should actively explore building or scaling presence in regions gaining trade momentum. Asia, the Gulf, and Latin America stand out as high-interest, high-footfall opportunities as trade flows shift and economic activity clusters regionally.
Finally, there is a growing need to support government-led participation. Country pavilions, trade delegations, and bloc-specific showcases will likely become more frequent and more strategic. Helping these entities tell their trade stories is an opportunity for organisers to embed themselves deeper into the evolving architecture of global commerce.
This moment presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge lies in accepting that some traditional strongholds may become less central. The opportunity lies in recognising and acting on where global business is moving next. Trade is adapting. So must the platforms that serve it.
The broader message is clear: If the tariffs are to stay, then the map of global trade is being redrawn, quite literally. From Jakarta to São Paulo, from Abu Dhabi to Ho Chi Minh City, new coordinates of commerce are being inked onto the global canvas. Exhibition organisers who recognise this, and who move decisively to serve these emerging markets, will be the ones to shape the next chapter of global B2B engagement.
The global exhibition industry has always been resilient, and its greatest strength is its ability to convene. As the forces that determine who trades with whom begin to shift, so too must the industry consider where it convenes next. This is not a time to wait for trade to settle. It is a time to track the flows, partner with the new trade champions, and design platforms that meet today’s and tomorrow’s global reality.
After all, trade finds a way. And trade shows must and will find theirs.
Contact: office@hattendorf.net
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