42% of sponsors and exhibitors come back to the same conference
At the median conference, 42% of the companies on the previous edition's list are listed again, so about 58% of a typical list is churn. Across 73 conferences with two comparable lists on file, 5,713 companies were new that edition. New companies are the ones still choosing where to spend.
How many conferences keep how many companies
| Companies back from last edition | Conferences | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 25% back | 19 | 26% |
| 25% to 49% | 25 | 34% |
| 50% to 74% | 22 | 30% |
| 75% or more | 7 | 10% |
Conferences with the most new companies
Companies on this edition's list that were not on the previous one.
| Conference | Companies listed | New | Back from last time |
|---|---|---|---|
| CES 2027 | 2,025 | 765 | 30% |
| Fabtech 2026 | 1,427 | 446 | 57% |
| Global Produce & Floral Show 2026 | 1,092 | 400 | 64% |
| NRF : Retail's Big Show 2027 | 743 | 387 | 37% |
| AHR Expo 2027 | 1,774 | 255 | 78% |
| MD&M West 2027 | 1,414 | 241 | 62% |
| Surf Expo 2026 | 571 | 236 | 57% |
| National Restaurant Association Show 2027 | 1,209 | 199 | 45% |
| NSC Safety Congress & Expo 2027 | 392 | 192 | 21% |
| Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2027 | 1,261 | 184 | 61% |
| Williston Basin Petroleum Conference 2026 | 276 | 151 | 48% |
| Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE) 2026 | 300 | 138 | 56% |
New and back: sponsors and exhibitors compared edition to edition, ConferenceDB, as of today.
Conferences that keep the most companies
Conferences with 100+ companies listed.
| Conference | Companies listed | New | Back from last time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cultivate 2027 | 595 | 16 | 84% |
| NPGA Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo 2026 | 222 | 54 | 81% |
| AHR Expo 2027 | 1,774 | 255 | 78% |
| SNA National Conference (ANC) 2027 | 287 | 14 | 78% |
| SFMA Conference and Exhibition 2027 | 175 | 28 | 78% |
| SNMMI Meeting 2027 | 180 | 3 | 71% |
| World Pork Expo 2026 | 360 | 104 | 71% |
| WASB State Education Convention 2027 | 215 | 28 | 69% |
Conferences that keep the fewest
Conferences with 100+ companies listed.
| Conference | Companies listed | New | Back from last time |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIO International Convention 2027 | 219 | 46 | 11% |
| Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) 2027 | 491 | 108 | 16% |
| NSC Safety Congress & Expo 2027 | 392 | 192 | 21% |
| HITEC 2027 | 100 | 56 | 22% |
| Bar & Restaurant Expo 2027 | 155 | 35 | 26% |
| Offshore Technology Conference 2027 | 305 | 43 | 29% |
| CES 2027 | 2,025 | 765 | 30% |
| PRINTING United Expo 2027 | 291 | 34 | 30% |
How this was counted
For each conference we compare the sponsor and exhibitor list of its latest edition with the list of the edition before it. Retention is the share of the previous edition's companies that appear again. New is a company on this edition's list that was not on the previous one. Companies are matched on their website domain.
A conference counts only when its previous list has 20+ companies and is at least half the size of the current one. A smaller previous list was usually read incomplete, and it would show a false jump in new companies. That rule leaves 73 conferences, so this is a sample of conferences with two full lists, not every event.
Questions
What percentage of sponsors come back to a conference the next year?
42% at the median conference. Across 73 conferences where we hold this edition's list and the one before it, the middle conference had that share of its previous companies listed again.
Which conferences keep the most companies?
Among conferences with 100+ companies listed, Cultivate keeps 84% of its previous list, and BIO International Convention the fewest at 11%.
How many companies are new to a conference each edition?
On these 73 conferences, 5,713 of 22,672 listings were companies not on the previous edition's list. Shows whose previous list is under half the size of this one are left out, because that list was read incomplete.
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More: Trade show exhibitors by city · Sponsors per conference · Events per sponsor · Sponsorship cost by conference size · Exhibitor lists · Sponsorship pricing
Sources
- Exhibitor listsevery show with a free exhibitor list, updated 15 October 2026
- Free sponsor and exhibitor listswhich page answers which question, updated 15 October 2026
- ConferenceDB company factshow lists and prices are collected, updated 7 October 2026