Source: https://conferencedatabase.com/conference-sponsor-retention-rate

> At the median conference, 42% of last edition's sponsors and exhibitors return. Measured on 73 conferences with two lists on file; 5,713 companies were new.

# 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.

By [Ryan Doyle](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-doyle/), founder of [ConferenceDB](https://conferencedatabase.com/company) · Published 14 October 2026

Data as of 15 October 2026, read from the live ConferenceDB database and refreshed hourly.

Median retention 42% 73 conferences

New companies 5,713 of 22,672 listings

Conferences, 100+ listed 45 in the tables below

Highest retention 84% Cultivate

## 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](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/ces) 2027 | 2,025 | 765 | 30% |
| [Fabtech](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/fabtech) 2026 | 1,427 | 446 | 57% |
| [Global Produce & Floral Show](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/global-produce-floral-show) 2026 | 1,092 | 400 | 64% |
| [NRF : Retail's Big Show](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/nrf-retail-s-big-show) 2027 | 743 | 387 | 37% |
| [AHR Expo](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/ahr-expo) 2027 | 1,774 | 255 | 78% |
| [MD&M West](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/md-m-west) 2027 | 1,414 | 241 | 62% |
| [Surf Expo](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/surf-expo) 2026 | 571 | 236 | 57% |
| [National Restaurant Association Show](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/national-restaurant-association-show) 2027 | 1,209 | 199 | 45% |
| [NSC Safety Congress & Expo](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/nsc-safety-congress-expo) 2027 | 392 | 192 | 21% |
| [Integrated Systems Europe (ISE)](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/integrated-systems-europe-ise) 2027 | 1,261 | 184 | 61% |
| [Williston Basin Petroleum Conference](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/williston-basin-petroleum-conference) 2026 | 276 | 151 | 48% |
| [Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE)](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/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](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/cultivate) 2027 | 595 | 16 | 84% |
| [NPGA Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/npga-southeastern-convention-international-propane-expo) 2026 | 222 | 54 | 81% |
| [AHR Expo](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/ahr-expo) 2027 | 1,774 | 255 | 78% |
| [SNA National Conference (ANC)](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/sna-national-conference-anc) 2027 | 287 | 14 | 78% |
| [SFMA Conference and Exhibition](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/sfma-conference-and-exhibition) 2027 | 175 | 28 | 78% |
| [SNMMI Meeting](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/snmmi-meeting) 2027 | 180 | 3 | 71% |
| [World Pork Expo](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/world-pork-expo) 2026 | 360 | 104 | 71% |
| [WASB State Education Convention](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/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](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/bio-international-convention) 2027 | 219 | 46 | 11% |
| [Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS)](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/kitchen-bath-industry-show-kbis) 2027 | 491 | 108 | 16% |
| [NSC Safety Congress & Expo](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/nsc-safety-congress-expo) 2027 | 392 | 192 | 21% |
| [HITEC](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/hitec) 2027 | 100 | 56 | 22% |
| [Bar & Restaurant Expo](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/bar-restaurant-expo) 2027 | 155 | 35 | 26% |
| [Offshore Technology Conference](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/offshore-technology-conference) 2027 | 305 | 43 | 29% |
| [CES](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/ces) 2027 | 2,025 | 765 | 30% |
| [PRINTING United Expo](https://conferencedatabase.com/c/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.

### Find the companies behind these numbers

Free, no account. Companies only, never named people.

Pick an industry and a place, or type your conference, and see the companies that sponsor or exhibit at the most conferences like it.

[Find sponsors for my conference](https://conferencedatabase.com/sponsor-finder)

More: [Trade show exhibitors by city](https://conferencedatabase.com/trade-show-exhibitors-by-city) · [Sponsors per conference](https://conferencedatabase.com/how-many-sponsors-does-a-conference-have) · [Events per sponsor](https://conferencedatabase.com/how-many-conferences-do-sponsors-back) · [Sponsorship cost by conference size](https://conferencedatabase.com/conference-sponsorship-cost-by-size) · [Exhibitor lists](https://conferencedatabase.com/exhibitor-lists) · [Sponsorship pricing](https://conferencedatabase.com/sponsorship-pricing)

## Sources

- [Exhibitor lists](https://conferencedatabase.com/exhibitor-lists)every show with a free exhibitor list, updated 15 October 2026
- [Free sponsor and exhibitor lists](https://conferencedatabase.com/free-sponsor-and-exhibitor-lists)which page answers which question, updated 15 October 2026
- [ConferenceDB company facts](https://conferencedatabase.com/company)how lists and prices are collected, updated 7 October 2026