Trade events are missing visitors due to a lack of educational content

Professionals who avoid trade events rarely do so out of disinterest, but because they do not sufficiently see how an event helps them advance professionally. This is evident from the report "What's Keeping People Away", published by the American event company Freeman on May 18, 2026, based on nearly 20,000 survey responses.

Potential attendees make a conscious value assessment: if they do not clearly see how an event helps them achieve their professional goals, they will not attend. Costs play a role in this, but are not the core of the problem. Many non-attendees doubt whether an event offers sufficient value to justify registration fees, travel, accommodation, and absence from work.

The study, conducted by Freeman Strategy & Insights in 2024 and 2025, compares the preferences of 6,000 recent attendees with those of 6,800 people who have never attended the event of the organizer in question. Sixty percent of non-attendees indicate they are more inclined to attend an event if the educational offering is exclusive and personal.

Younger generations shape the picture

Gen Z and millennials make up 47 percent of non-attendees, compared to 39 percent of recent attendees. According to Freeman, this difference explains the stronger emphasis on career development, practical learning, and demonstrable professional value. For instance, 65 percent of non-attendees name training and technical competence as a top priority in their work, compared to 46 percent of recent attendees. Professional advancement ranks at 58 percent among non-attendees, compared to 46 percent among attendees.

Hands-on interaction or participatory experiences are cited as an important learning element by 54 percent of non-attendees, compared to 35 percent of recent attendees. Conversely, venue, parties, and general networking score lower among non-attendees. Networking around professional challenges and industry-specific themes, however, does appeal to them.

Three Key Experience Elements

The three key experience elements for non-attendees are: hands-on interaction or immersive experiences, a personal guide for making the most of the event, and technology that simplifies participation in the event. Special events and the venue are less relevant to non-attendees.

Freeman advises organizers to focus their marketing message on concrete learning outcomes and active participation, and to structure networking moments around substantive themes rather than drinks and entertainment. Experts available for networking are also a decisive factor: 51 percent of non-attendees cite this as a reason that can overcome the cost barrier.

The report What's Keeping People Away can be downloaded here.