The Power of Showing Up: Why Trade Shows Still Matter in a Digital World

We can sell through a website, meet on Zoom, send line sheets by email, and build a brand through social media. So why spend thousands, or even tens of thousands, exhibiting at a trade show?

Because there is still tremendous power in showing up, and the research increasingly backs that up.

I was reminded of this while exhibiting Adornato Couture at the Chicago bridal market. The show was extremely successful, but its value went far beyond the orders we wrote.

The real value was access: to customers, information, relationships, market intelligence, and opportunities I could not have predicted.

Most importantly, it gave me direct access to the people who stand between my product and my ultimate consumer.

Who Is Actually Your Customer?

Every entrepreneur should be able to answer this question, but the answer is not always obvious.

As a bridal designer, I design for brides, but my direct customers are the independent bridal retailers who purchase and carry my gowns. The bride is my end user.

That distinction matters. Retailers are the gatekeepers between my brand and the bride. They decide which designers, silhouettes, and gowns reach their sales floors.

So who am I really designing for: the bride, the retailer, or both?

The answer is both, but for very different reasons.

What Buyers Want and What Consumers Want Aren’t Always the Same

A retailer may tell me what silhouettes, fabrics, necklines, or design directions are trending, but that does not mean every market is ready for the same trend.

This is where trade shows become more than sales events. They become research laboratories.

Meeting retailers from across the country allows me to learn what brides are asking for, what is selling, what gets overlooked, and most importantly, what retailers are willing to invest in.

There is a big difference between someone saying, “I love that dress,” and a retailer spending her own money to put it in her store.

Purchasing behavior is research.

Freeman’s 2024 attendee research reinforces this point. Eighty percent of respondents identified in person events as a top source for discovering new products and services, compared with 62 percent for company websites.

A trade show is not simply where companies sell. It is where buyers go to discover.

Geography Matters More Than We Sometimes Realize

After more than 30 years in the bridal industry, I’ve learned there isn’t one American bridal customer. Different markets adopt trends at different speeds and respond differently to silhouettes, fabrics, sizing, modesty, and price.

That’s why testing and listening are so important. A gown can perform incredibly well in one market and receive a completely different reaction somewhere else.

The retailers selling gowns every Saturday know things that national trend reports cannot always tell me.

A trade show puts many of those retailers in one room, creating an incredibly efficient form of market research. Instead of traveling across the country, I can gather insights from multiple geographical markets in just a few days.

Human-to-Human Still Matters

Digital communication is convenient, but nothing fully replaces face to face connection.

Freeman’s research found that 80 percent of respondents viewed in person events as the most trusted marketing channel, while 95 percent said they trusted brands more after attending an in person event.

In B2B relationships, buyers are evaluating more than the product. They are evaluating you, your understanding of their business, and whether they can trust you.

Meeting retailers also shows me whether Adornato Couture is being perceived the way I intend.

Your Online Persona Isn’t Always Your Actual Brand

We may shape our brand online, but perception belongs to the customer.

Talking with retailers helps me understand how they see Adornato Couture, what they value, and whether our brand communicates what I intend.

These conversations provide valuable, real world brand insight that digital analytics cannot.

For Physical Products, Seeing Isn’t Always Believing

For businesses selling physical products, trade shows offer an advantage that digital marketing cannot fully replace: customers can experience the product firsthand.

This is especially important in bridal. A photograph can be beautiful, but it cannot fully communicate the quality of the fabric, construction of a bodice, weight of an embellishment, movement of a skirt, or how a train falls.

Freeman’s 2025 commerce research found that 96 percent of attendees said hands-on exposure made it easier to advocate for a purchase, 95 percent said it helped determine whether a product was a good fit, and 70 percent said it accelerated the purchasing decision.

For product based entrepreneurs, those are powerful numbers. Some things simply cannot be sold as effectively through a photograph as they can through the product itself.

The ROI We Don’t Measure

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is measuring trade show ROI too narrowly.

If I spend $20,000 and write $40,000 in orders, the immediate return is clear. But what about long term customers, market insights, partnerships, introductions, and future opportunities?

Those outcomes may not appear on a sales report, but they have real value.

Freeman’s research found that 87 percent of attendees identified discovering new products, solutions, and partners as the top reason for attending events.

Unlike digital advertising, trade shows put my company in a room with people actively seeking products, information, relationships, and opportunities.

My Chicago Market ROI Was Much Bigger Than My Order Total

The most recent Chicago bridal market demonstrated this perfectly for Adornato Couture.

Yes, we wrote orders, and those orders matter. But some of the most valuable outcomes were not purchase orders.

Through conversations at the show, I gathered intelligence about which future trade shows might be worth the investment and which might not. I received an inquiry about becoming a guest speaker, expanded my network into circles I had been trying to reach, and connected with people who could potentially open doors to future opportunities.

I also met bridal retailers who had heard of Adornato Couture but had never met me or experienced the collection firsthand.

I learned. I listened. I sold. I researched. And I expanded my network.

How do I assign a dollar amount to all of that?

That is why entrepreneurs need to look differently at trade show ROI. It is not simply sales divided by the cost of the show. It is sales, customer acquisition, market research, brand intelligence, relationships, and future opportunities.

Some of those variables are difficult to measure. That does not make them worthless.

Thirty Years In, and There Are Still New People to Meet

After more than 30 years in the industry, I still meet new people, ideas, and opportunities.

Trade shows create space for conversations that can lead to future customers, partnerships, and unexpected connections.

That is difficult to replicate through a cold email.

Before You Decide a Trade Show Is Too Expensive

Trade shows are expensive, and I would never suggest that every entrepreneur exhibit at every show. Part of being a good entrepreneur is determining which rooms you need to be in.

Before spending the money, ask:

Will my customers and decision makers be there? Will I have access to buyers? Can I observe purchasing behavior, test my assumptions, understand different markets, evaluate how my brand is perceived, and build relationships that might otherwise take months or years?

If the answer is yes, perhaps the trade show should not be viewed simply as an expense.

It may be one of your most concentrated investments in sales, marketing, research, and relationship building.

The Power of Showing Up

Technology has made communication easier than ever, and AI will make it easier still. But easier does not always mean better.

Some things cannot be learned from a dashboard: human connection, hands on experience, in person questions, and unexpected opportunities.

Perhaps the best way to evaluate a trade show is not simply to ask, “How much did I sell?”

Ask instead, “What would it have cost me to acquire all of this information, access, trust, and opportunity separately?”

After more than 30 years in this industry, I still believe there is tremendous value in being in the room.

Sometimes the opportunity you have been searching for online is standing three feet away from you.

You just have to show up.

Research Sources

Freeman, 2024 Attendee Intent and Behavior Trends Report.

Freeman and The Harris Poll, 2025 Freeman Trust Report.

Freeman, 2025 Commerce Trends Report: The Future of Commerce for Trade Shows and Conferences.

Discover more about Marie Adornato’s work through Spybaby Bridal & Prom's Linktree, follow the boutique on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, or connect with Adornato Couture on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates.

Marie Adornato
President/Lead Designer
Spybaby Co. Inc./Adornato Couture