Freeman has released a new report on why professionals skip conferences and tradeshows, and what might persuade them to attend.
Cost Is Not the Only Barrier
The report, What’s Keeping People From Attending Your Event?, is based on Freeman Strategy & Insights’ Community Needs Survey, conducted in 2024 and 2025. The research includes about 20,000 survey responses, including 6,000 recent attendees and 6,800 non-attendees.
Conferences made up 72 percent of responses. Tradeshows accounted for 28 percent.
One of the report’s main findings is that cost is only part of the issue. Many non-attendees do not believe an event will provide enough value to justify registration, travel, lodging, and time away from work.
Career Growth Matters
Non-attendees were more likely than recent attendees to prioritize training, technical skills, and professional advancement.
According to the report, 65 percent of non-attendees listed training and technical competency as a top work or career priority. That compares with 46 percent of recent attendees.
Professional advancement also ranked higher among non-attendees, at 58 percent, compared with 46 percent of recent attendees.
Freeman also found that non-attendees place more importance on advanced education and hands-on learning. Hands-on interaction or participatory experiences were cited by 54 percent of non-attendees as an important learning element. That compares with 35 percent of recent attendees.
Traditional Draws May Carry Less Weight
Location, after-hours events, parties, and general networking ranked lower among non-attendees than among recent attendees.
Instead, non-attendees responded more strongly to networking built around professional challenges and industry-specific topics.
The findings also point to generational differences. Freeman notes that Gen Z and Millennials made up 47 percent of non-attendees, compared with 39 percent of recent attendees. That difference may help explain the stronger focus on career growth, practical learning, and clear professional value.
Freeman recommends that organizers speak directly to non-attendees’ work and career priorities. The report also encourages organizers to explain what attendees will learn and make hands-on event elements clear
Read the full report here.
Freeman provides services for events, exhibits, and live experiences. For more info, visit www.freeman.com.
