Tariffs? Most event organizers panic. But if you’re smart, you’ll see tariffs for what they are: an opportunity to treat your customers as trusted industry partners not just a source of revenue.
Forget the sales pitch. This is your chance to build trust, gain insight, and make your event essential to attendees and exhibitors dealing with real pain.
Here’s how to make tariffs work for you:
1. Tariffs Surface What Your Audience Actually Cares About
- New tariffs = new pain.
- Rising costs? Supply chain chaos? Strategic pivots? All happening now.
- This is when your audience’s real priorities come to light—no fluff, no spin.
My advice:
→ Set up rapid-fire feedback calls with key exhibitors and VIP attendees.
→ Ask: “How is this hitting you?” Then build sessions, content, and networking around those answers.
2. In Uncertain Times, People Want Connection—Not a Sales Pitch
- When the pressure’s on, your audience doesn’t want to be “sold to.”
- They want community—people who get it.
- Be the space where honest conversations happen.
My advice:
→ Reposition your event as a gathering of allies, not a marketplace.
→ Feature attendee-led roundtables, off-the-record meetups, and unscripted problem-solving.
3. Help Exhibitors and Sponsors Cut Costs—While Boosting ROI
- Tariff-driven budget cuts mean every dollar gets scrutinized.
- If you’re not helping sponsors do more with less, they’ll find someone who will.
- Now’s your chance to prove you’re a partner, not just a pitchman.
My advice:
→ Offer low-cost, high-impact sponsor packages (think hosted buyer intros, exclusive roundtables, or content partnerships).
→ Help exhibitors rethink booth builds, staffing, and pre-show lead gen to get better results for less.
→ Deliver post-event ROI snapshots that show value, not vanity.
4. Stress = Truth. Listen While the Filters Are Off.
- When the market’s shaky, people stop sugarcoating.
- Post-session questions get sharper. Booth conversations get real.
- That’s when you hear what’s actually going on.
My advice:
→ Skip the vanilla post-event surveys.
→ Ask: “What’s the one thing that kept you up at night before coming here?”
→ Use those answers to reshape next year’s event—from content to layout to messaging.
Bottom Line for Executives:
- Tariffs aren’t just economic noise—they’re strategic intelligence.
- They tell you what’s breaking, where the friction is, and who needs help.
Don’t react with a sell.
Respond with relevance.
Lead with empathy.
Build an event they can’t afford to miss—because it gets them.
Need help building ROI-driven experiences that actually resonate with your audience?
Let’s talk.