CEIR Session: Where Exhibitor Marketing Budgets Really Go: Industry Benchmarks and Ways to Make Them Work Better

Includes a Live Web Event on 08/19/2026 at 10:30 AM (CDT)

How are exhibitors allocating marketing budgets today and how do those allocations compare to pre-pandemic norms? Where is spending concentrated, and what metrics are used to evaluate success? This webinar presents the latest CEIR research on marketing channel investment, exhibiting objectives, performance metrics, and direct spend by expense category alongside insights into how exhibit strategies are evolving. In this first-ever joint webinar, CEIR’s Nancy Drapeau and EXHIBITOR Magazine’s Emily Olson combine data and application. Nancy shares key findings on budget allocation trends, exhibitor priorities, and performance benchmarks, while Emily challenges and expands on the data with real-world examples and best practices.

The discussion highlights how exhibitors are driving results across core objectives, lead generation, brand building, and face-to-face engagement, and how integrated marketing, including digital channels, supports engagement across the full event lifecycle. It also touches on how communication strategies are adapting to effectively reach and engage audiences across generations. Looking ahead, the session examines exhibitor plans and offers practical guidance on selecting the right events, optimizing exhibit investments, and adapting strategies to maximize ROI in a stable but evolving market.

Learning Objectives:

Learn to the current investment patterns
Discover how to apply data to strategy
Optimize exhibit performance and ROI

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IAEE and CEIR webinars are free to members and available to non-members for $79.

Nancy Drapeau, IPC

Vice President of Research

Center for Exhibition Research

Nancy Drapeau, IPC. Is a market research veteran with more than 31 years in the business-to-business exhibitions industry. As CEIR’s Vice President of Research, Ms. Drapeau conducts industry wide studies and reports on current trends in the exhibition industry. In 2019, she was named to BizBash’s 1,000 Most Influential People in Events list. She holds a BA in Government from Georgetown University and a Master’s in Advanced European and International Studies from l’Institut Européen des Hautes Études Internationales. She is an AC Nielsen Burke Institute trained focus group moderator. She is a well-respected industry speaker and an active member of the Industry Insights Association and has served on the Event Industry Council’s (EIC) Research & Advocacy Task Force. She lives in Maine, with her husband and a border collie named Moxie.

Emily Olson

Editor

EXHIBITOR

Emily Olson is editor of EXHIBITOR magazine and a longtime journalist with more than 20 years of experience covering business, arts, culture, and live events. She leads editorial strategy, industry research projects, and international awards programs, and regularly speaks at industry events around the world. Emily is particularly interested in how storytelling, design, and shared experiences shape the way people connect.