Event Marketer and The Exhibitor Advocate Announce Strategic Alliance to Elevate the Trade Show Exhibitor Community

[ROCKVILLE, MD, May 6, 2026] — Event Marketer, the world's most trusted and widely read media brand covering experiential and event marketing, today announced a landmark strategic alliance with The Exhibitor Advocate, the only nonprofit organization exclusively dedicated to championing the interests and success of the trade show exhibitor community. The partnership marks a defining moment for the exhibitions and events industry — bringing together two powerhouse organizations to deliver the content, research, advocacy, professional development, and community connections that corporate exhibit marketers and trade show strategists have long needed, and never had access to in one place.

Event Marketer and The Exhibitor Advocate will commemorate their alliance on stage during Event Marketer’s Experiential Marketing Summit (EMS), taking place May 18-20 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (www.EventMarketer.com/EMS)

The alliance launches with four initial integrated collaboration pillars designed to serve the exhibitor community at every stage of their professional journey — while creating a first-of-its-kind platform for the suppliers, builders, and technology vendors who power the trade show floor.

"The trade show exhibit community is one of the most dynamic, strategically important, and underserved audiences in our industry. We built Event Marketer to be the resource that experiential marketers rely on — and this alliance with The Exhibitor Advocate extends that mission directly into the heart of the exhibit world. Together, we are building something the industry has never seen."

— Kerry Smith, Founder, Event Marketer

FOUR PILLARS OF THE ALLIANCE

1. The Exhibitor's Voice: A Co-Branded Content Series

Event Marketer will launch a dedicated editorial series covering the issues that matter most to corporate exhibitors — cost transparency, ROI measurement, booth experience design, sustainability, and the evolving exhibitor-show organizer relationship. Published on EventMarketer.com and amplified through The Exhibitor Advocate's channels, the series gives exhibitors a platform, gives sponsors a targeted audience, and gives the industry a must-read resource it has never had before.

2. A Dedicated Exhibitor Track at the Experiential Marketing Summit

The Exhibitor Advocate will serve as the official Community Partner for the Exhibit Strategies & Trade Show Forum at Event Marketer's flagship conference, the Experiential Marketing Summit (EMS) — the industry's only conference devoted entirely to live brand experiences, drawing 1,000+ brand marketers and event professionals annually. The Exhibitor Advocate will help shape a co-branded session track, maintain a presence on the exhibit floor, and share its education, resources, and consultation support directly with EMS participants, while Event Marketer creates a dedicated sponsorship package for exhibitor-focused suppliers seeking direct access to this community.

3. Preferred EMS Registration for Exhibitor Advocate Members

Exhibitor Advocate members will receive preferred access and discounted registration to the Experiential Marketing Summit — making EMS a tangible, high-value benefit of Exhibitor Advocate membership and giving Event Marketer a pipeline of qualified exhibit professionals attending the conference. The arrangement positions EMS as the essential annual gathering for the exhibit community, and positions Exhibitor Advocate membership as the smartest professional investment a corporate exhibit marketer can make.

4. The Annual State of the Exhibitor Research Report

Event Marketer and The Exhibitor Advocate will co-produce an annual research report dedicated exclusively to the trade show exhibitor experience — covering costs, ROI, advocacy priorities, emerging technologies, and the future of the exhibit floor. Released jointly each year, the report will serve as the definitive industry benchmark, providing Exhibitor Advocate members with exclusive early access, offering Event Marketer a premier research sponsorship property, and delivering the broader industry unbiased insights drawn directly from the exhibit and event professionals who shape the trade show floor — perspectives unavailable from any other source..

"Exhibitors are the economic engine of the trade show industry, yet for too long they have been the industry's least represented constituency. This alliance with Event Marketer changes that. For the first time, the industry's most influential media brand and the only organization dedicated solely to advancing exhibitors' interests are working together to strengthen and amplify the voice of the exhibitor.We could not be more excited about what this means for our members and for the future of this industry."

— Jessica Sibila, Executive Director, The Exhibitor Advocate

WHY THIS MATTERS NOW

The trade show exhibition industry generates billions of dollars in economic activity annually, yet corporate exhibitors, the brands and companies whose investments literally fund the show floor, have historically had the weakest voice of any major stakeholder in the industry ecosystem. The dissolution of the Trade Show Exhibitors Association left a significant void. The Exhibitor Advocate was founded to fill it. Now, with Event Marketer's media reach, research capabilities, and convening power behind that mission, the exhibitor community gains an unprecedented combination of advocacy, intelligence, and professional resources.

For the supplier community — exhibit builders, technology vendors, A/V providers, freight and logistics companies, and the many other businesses that serve corporate exhibitors — this alliance creates the most targeted, high-value advertising and sponsorship platform in the industry: a combined audience of engaged exhibit professionals across media, events, research, and education.

FOR THE EXHIBIT COMMUNITY

Corporate exhibit marketers, trade show strategists, and exhibit program leaders are invited to join The Exhibitor Advocate today and take advantage of the growing suite of resources, research, and EMS benefits this alliance makes possible. Visit www.ExhibitorAdvocacy.com to learn more and become a member.

Registration for the Experiential Marketing Summit is now open. EMS takes place May 18-20 at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. Exhibitor Advocate members should visit www.exhibitoradvocacy.com/events for discounted member pricing. All others may register at www.EventMarketer.com/EMS.

ABOUT EVENT MARKETER

Event Marketer is the world's largest and most trusted information source for strategic brand-side experiential marketers and event agency executives. Covering the full spectrum of face-to-face marketing — including trade shows, corporate events, mobile marketing, sponsorship activations, experiential campaigns, and virtual events — Event Marketer serves Fortune 1000 marketers, agency leaders, and the supplier community through its flagship publication, EventMarketer.com, and the annual Experiential Marketing Summit, the only conference devoted exclusively to live brand experiences. Event Marketer is part of Access Intelligence’s Chief Marketer Network, with a global reach of more than 1.2 million marketers, agencies, retailers, and publishers.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITOR ADVOCATE

The Exhibitor Advocate is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association exclusively dedicated to supporting the needs of corporate trade show exhibitors. Its mission is to amplify the voice of exhibitors and ensure the enduring success of exhibitions and events by collaborating with all industry stakeholders to promote open communication, consistent standards, and industry best practices. The Exhibitor Advocate empowers individual exhibitors to achieve maximum value from trade show participation while advocating collectively for a more transparent, equitable, and thriving exhibition ecosystem.