Chamber-hosted business expos are hot events that bring your businesses attention. Or do they? On the Chamber Pros community recently, one chamber pro inquired about hosting a business expo and asked for advice.
Although business expos are a chance for local businesses to show off what they do best, connect with potential customers, and build B2B relationships, in today’s event-saturated environment, many chambers are finding that simply hosting an expo isn’t enough. Attendance can be spotty, member enthusiasm can wane, and the ROI isn’t always clear.
Still, when done right, expos can be among a chamber’s most profitable and visible events of the year. The key is being intentional about structure, pricing, promotion, and positioning.
How to Host the Best Business Expo Ever
Several chamber pros recently shared what’s working (and what’s not) in their communities, offering valuable insights for anyone looking to level up their own expo strategy.
1. Use a Pricing Formula That Builds in Profit and Perceived Value
One of the most common mistakes chambers make is pricing expo booths too low. (surprising, right? You probably thought it would be the opposite.) When you price too low, you might fill the floor, but you’ll also leave money on the table and unintentionally signal that the event lacks prestige.
Melanie Watson has found success using a simple 1:3 formula to keep her pricing sustainable and her event profitable. “Exhibit display costs $150, so we charge $450 for members and half the membership fee for nonmembers,” she shared. “The rest of the revenue goes toward other expenses and marketing, and then we keep about $100–$150 per booth. We have about 100 booths.”
That structure not only covers direct expenses but also funds promotion and staff time. It also reinforces the value of chamber membership by making it immediately more affordable to join than to pay non-member rates. For expos to remain a revenue generator — not a drain — clear, consistent pricing formulas like this are essential.
Pro Tip: Price your booths high enough that businesses see it as an investment, not a donation. Then, build in incentives for members (discounts, prime booth placement, or early-bird access) to strengthen the value proposition of joining the chamber.
2. Choose a Venue That Provides Built-In Foot Traffic
No matter how much you market, location can make or break an expo. Some of the best-attended events happen where people are already gathered.
Susan Thompson, Executive Director at Hobart Chamber of Commerce, credits her chamber’s strong attendance to its venue choice: “We have great attendance at ours because we hold it at the local mall. So we have the built-in mall patrons and the mall helps us advertise it,” she explained. “We charge members $150 for the table and non-members $250.”
By partnering with an established traffic generator, like a mall, community center, or popular park, chambers can reach beyond their membership base and bring the business community directly to the public. It’s a win-win partnership when the venue benefits from increased exposure and the chamber gains free advertising and extra visitors.
Pro Tip: When scouting venues, ask: Where does your community already gather on weekends? Farmers’ markets, breweries, college campuses, or town squares often offer built-in visibility and foot traffic without hefty marketing costs.
3. Pair the Expo With a Secondary Draw
If your expo is struggling with low attendance, adding a companion event can dramatically boost interest. Joanne Farrell Finn, Executive Director at Pomme de Terre Chamber of Commerce shared that her chamber saw poor attendance “except for one year when we combined it with a job fair.” When the chamber returned to a standalone expo, attendance dipped again. “This spring we’re adding food trucks,” she added. “If that doesn’t help, we won’t do it again. We are a small rural area, so not a lot of interest apparently. BUT… our members enjoyed the networking with each other. So if we replace it, it will be a networking event most likely.”
Joanne’s experience underscores a common trend: the public may not flock to expos unless there’s something extra to do, but members often enjoy the camaraderie regardless. Combining your expo with a hiring event, food truck festival, tasting, or family-friendly activity can broaden its appeal and draw different audiences at once.
Pro Tip: When adding an attraction, choose something that aligns with your exhibitors’ goals. A job fair or student showcase attracts talent. A food truck rally draws the community. An “explore” passport theme gets people visiting every booth.
4. Reframe It as a Member Showcase or B2B Networking Event
Sometimes the issue isn’t the event itself, it’s how it’s framed. Several chamber pros reported that even when public turnout was underwhelming, member exhibitors still loved the chance to connect with each other.
Lee Bell, President and CEO at Ybor City Chamber of Commerce put it plainly: “We did one with very poor attendance by the public. Our member vendors loved it. If we ever do it again, we will promote it as a member showcase and encourage members to get to know other members’ businesses.”
That’s a smart shift.
Instead of viewing the public as the primary audience, make it a celebration of the business community itself. By reframing the expo as a Member Business Showcase, B2B Networking Expo, or Local Business Appreciation Day, you change expectations, attract the right audience, and preserve the energy that makes chambers thrive — relationship-building.
Pro Tip: Consider holding a dedicated “business-to-business” hour before the event opens to the public, so exhibitors can visit each other’s booths. Offer a mini passport or booth bingo (or other incentive) for networking between vendors.
5. Track the Real ROI — Not Just Attendance
It’s easy to focus on ticket sales and foot traffic, but true success lies in outcomes. Did vendors make quality connections? Did they renew their chamber membership afterward? Did sponsors feel their visibility was worth the investment?
Mike Howard, who reported his chamber’s expo brought in between $10K and $15K in revenue but suffered from sparse attendance, says future staff will “have to revisit in 2026.” That’s a good reminder that even profitable events need post-mortem analysis. Revenue alone doesn’t guarantee long-term viability.
Pro Tip: Send post-event surveys to both exhibitors and attendees. Ask what worked, what didn’t, and whether they made meaningful connections. That data helps justify whether the expo should continue in its current form or evolve.
6. Refresh Your Marketing and Theme Every Year
The best expos build anticipation by changing things up. If yours has grown stale, a new theme, layout, or focus can revive excitement. Consider tying your expo to a timely topic — like innovation, sustainability, or local flavor — or hosting a mini-stage for demos and live interviews.
Engaging exhibitors early as partners in promotion can also make a big difference. Provide ready-made graphics, email templates, and hashtags so they can share widely with their audiences. The more participants promote, the more momentum you’ll build.
Pro Tip: Make your exhibitors look like the stars of the show. Feature them on social media before the event, highlight giveaways they’ll have, and post videos from the floor tagging each business.
7. Know When to Pivot
Not every community responds to expos in the same way. If attendance consistently lags despite strong effort, it might be time to evolve. Turning the event into a smaller, relationship-driven networking experience — or replacing it with something completely new — isn’t a failure. It’s strategic adaptation.
As Joanne Farrell Finn noted, even when attendance dipped, members still valued the opportunity to connect. If the ROI is stronger on the relationship side, lean into that. Host an annual “Business Connection Summit” instead, with vendor tables, speed networking, and sponsor-branded lounges.
The Bottom Line
Business expos are a classic chamber tradition, but tradition alone doesn’t fill the room. Whether your goal is to generate non-dues revenue, boost member visibility, or draw the public, success depends on planning with purpose.
Don’t just host an expo because it’s on the calendar. Host one that serves your members, strengthens your brand, and reflects your community’s energy.
When done thoughtfully, a business expo is a breathing display of your local economy in action.
