Freeman Trends Report: The Pre-Event Edition Q4 2026
The value of an event starts before the event does.
Our Pre-Event Trends Report follows attendees and exhibitors from the first time they hear about an event to the moment they pick up their badge. It shows what organizers can share along the way to help them make decisions sooner and arrive ready.
What You’ll Learn
- How attendees and exhibitors discover events, including the 21% of attendees and 25% of exhibitors who have used AI
- What attendees and exhibitors look for when deciding if an event is worth it
- Why most attendees (84%) decide to go a month or more before they register
- Nine actionable strategies to share the right information at the right time
What makes this so important?
Organizers know how many people registered and how many booths sold. What they often miss is the story behind those numbers, and most of it plays out long before the doors open. This report draws on a September 2026 survey of 3,459 attendees and exhibitors to show what that story looks like.
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