Exhibitshub, the nation’s first tradeshow exhibit-sharing marketplace, was launched at ExhibitorLive, North America’s largest exhibition of tradeshow and event suppliers. Inspired by Airbnb, UBER, Lyft and other sharing economy companies, Exhibitshub has aggregated an extensive collection of custom exhibits in key convention cities that can be reserved, booked and re-branded online. Site visitors search exhibits by city, type, size, design and budget and are presented with options that meet their search criteria.
“Tradeshows are a huge marketplace—more than 10,000 tradeshows in North America representing $13.2B in revenue—but is challenged by escalating exhibitor expense and supply-chain margin pressure,” explains Exhibitshub founder Christopher Kappes. “Our model is simple. Borrow a tradeshow exhibit… save money. Share a tradeshow exhibit… make money.”
Exhibit planners also benefit from Exhibithub’s proprietary technology by cutting exhibit planning time from months to weeks. Using Exhibitshub, they can now reserve a high-quality custom exhibit in a convention city, collaborate with exhibit firms to re-brand it, and receive an all-inclusive Design & Pricing Proposal for exhibit use, re-branding and show services in approximately 48 hours. Exhibits ship locally and are serviced by an in-city team, so time and expense is significantly reduced.
Don Schmid, the global congress lead for Pfizer Corp, says, “49 percent of businesses don’t exhibit due to expense,” and sees Exhibitshub as a game-changer. “Exhibitshub makes it easier and more affordable for new exhibitors. Further, custom exhibit owners can now monetize their exhibits when not in use, which offsets exhibit ownership expense.”
Exhibitshub also introduces a lower cost sales strategy for exhibit firms. According to Kelli Glasser, president and CEO for Exhibit Concepts, “The expense to pursue, compete and win new tradeshow clients is tremendous. Exhibitshub is an additive sales strategy for us that we believe can appeal to the new generation of exhibit managers and planners.”
Show organizers have also taken notice of Exhibitshub and are testing the model. Access Intelligence SVP Kerry Smith says, “We’re testing a few shows with Exhibitshub to see if the convenience and price savings attract new exhibitors to our shows and bring more value to our existing ones.”
To celebrate its introduction and promote the regeneration of tradeshow exhibits, Exhibitshub is making a contribution to the non-profit OneTreePlanted. Each exhibit booked, using Exhibitshub, funds a new tree planted at one of OneTreePlanted reforestation projects globally. Kappes explains, “OneTreePlanted is raising awareness around the world about the importance of trees to environmental sustainability. Exhibitshub regenerates exhibits as a business solution and we are delighted to support their mission.”
Exhibitshub is a technology company transforming the exhibiting experience. Using proprietary technology, exhibitors shop online and reserve high-quality custom exhibits not being used by their owners, in show cities across the U.S. Once booked, exhibits are re-branded and delivered show-ready by a network of top exhibit firms for an all-inclusive budget. By providing access to exhibits, they are changing the meaning of ownership—and revolutionizing exhibiting in the process. For more info, visit www.exhibitshub.com.
