Vertical Trade Show Strategy

A strategy for building highly profitable trade show businesses by focusing on specific B2B verticals and treating them as real estate plays rather than traditional conferences. This approach has been proven successful with examples like Money 2020 (fintech) and Shop Talk (commerce) each selling for over $100M.

Core Strategy:

• Focus on B2B transactions rather than content/speakers
• Create a 3-day transactional environment where a year's worth of business happens
• Think of it as selling real estate (booth space) rather than running a conference
• Use speakers as bait to attract the right audience

Revenue Model:

• Year 1: $2-3M revenue (focus on not losing money)
• Year 2: ~$12M revenue
• Year 3: ~$30M revenue
• Lock in 90% of next year's revenue during current year's event

Key Success Factors:

• Target industries with large B2B transaction potential
• Create FOMO among competitors ("our competitor is there, we need to be there")
• Focus on facilitating actual business transactions
• Justify high booth costs ($100k+) by ensuring deal flow
• Add recurring revenue through paid online communities

Expansion Strategy:

• Start with one vertical (e.g., fintech)
• Sell for $100M+ to larger company
• Move to new vertical (e.g., commerce)
• Repeat process with proven playbook
• Current example: Moving into healthcare sector (HLTH.com)

Target Audience:

• B2B sales professionals
• Corporate decision makers
• Industry vendors/suppliers
• Must be transaction-focused rather than content-focused

The key insight is treating it as a real estate business rather than an events business - you're selling premium square footage where transactions happen, not just conference tickets.