SITE Survey Shows Buyers Prioritise Relationships, Suppliers Focus on Lead Generation
The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) released new research indicating that incentive travel buyers now rank building and deepening existing relationships as the top function of trade shows, while hotels and suppliers place lead generation first. The study, published on 6 November 2026, surveyed 747 respondents across four industry groups.
In this story
At a glance
- What changes
- Buyers now rank relationship building highest, suppliers rank lead generation highest
- Timing
- Findings published 6 November 2026
- Who is affected
- Incentive travel buyers, hotels, suppliers, DMCs, destination marketing organisations
The details
- Announced by
- Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE)
Survey Overview
SITE released the latest SITE PULSE survey titled “Trade Shows and Business Development”. The questionnaire gathered 747 responses, the largest return in the series’ history. Analysis focuses on 657 respondents split into four core groups: buyers, hotels and suppliers, destination management companies (DMCs), and destination marketing organisations and convention bureaux.
Priority Findings
When asked to identify the single most important function of trade shows, 43.3% of buyers chose building and deepening existing relationships, a figure that rises to 52.4% among agencies and incentive houses. By contrast, 38.7% of hotels and suppliers selected lead generation and sales pipeline development as their top priority. DMCs and destination marketing organisations reported similar preferences, with 43.4% and 44.4% respectively favouring relationship building.
- Education and development ranked fourth overall, cited by only 9.3% of respondents
- Among buyers, 15.0% still valued education and development
Confidence and Challenges
Almost six in ten respondents (59.5%) expect the importance of major trade shows to grow over the next three years, while 24.0% anticipate a stable role. Cost and budget constraints remain the biggest challenge, identified by 46.1% of participants. Time away from work and clients (18.0%) and difficulty demonstrating ROI (16.4%) were also noted.
The survey highlights a strong vote of confidence in face‑to‑face business development, but stresses the need for clear objectives, relevant appointments and meaningful follow‑up to maximise investment.
What this means for travellers
Trip planning
- Existing trade show bookings are unaffected by the survey results
- Travel planners can use the data to choose shows that align with their business priorities
Cost and documents
- No new fees or documentation requirements are introduced by the research
- Budget allocations for trade show attendance may be reassessed based on the highlighted challenges
What you need to do
- Review upcoming trade show agendas to ensure they support relationship‑building or lead‑generation goals as appropriate
- Monitor future SITE publications for updates on industry priorities
Who this affects
-
Incentive travel buyers
Survey shows they now prioritise building and deepening existing relationships at trade shows
What to do Consider focusing on appointments with known partners rather than solely seeking new contacts
-
Hotels and suppliers
They identified lead generation as the most important trade‑show function
What to do Allocate resources to attract new prospects and develop sales pipelines at exhibitions
-
Destination management companies (DMCs)
They ranked relationship building slightly higher than education and development
What to do Plan participation that facilitates networking with buyers and agencies
-
Destination marketing organisations and convention bureaux
Their respondents also favoured relationship building as the top function
What to do Emphasise collaborative meetings with regional buyers at trade events
-
Agencies and incentive houses
Over half (52.4%) named relationship building as the most important function
What to do Prioritise meetings with trusted partners who understand client needs
Frequently asked questions
What did the SITE 2026 trade show survey find about buyer priorities?
The survey found that 43.3% of incentive travel buyers consider building and deepening existing relationships the most important function of trade shows, making it the top priority for this group.
Which function do hotels and suppliers rank highest at trade shows?
Hotels and suppliers ranked lead generation and sales pipeline development as the most important function, with 38.7% of respondents selecting it as their top priority.
How confident are industry professionals about the future of trade shows?
Nearly 60% of respondents expect the importance of major trade shows to increase over the next three years, while another 24% anticipate a stable role.
What are the main challenges cited by trade‑show participants?
Cost and budget constraints were the leading challenge for 46.1% of participants, followed by time away from work and clients (18.0%) and difficulty demonstrating return on investment (16.4%).
Does the SITE survey suggest any changes to travel budgeting?
The survey highlights the need to make trade‑show investments work harder, recommending clear objectives, relevant appointments and meaningful follow‑up to improve budgeting efficiency.
