Trade shows are back. So is the AI understanding gap. Here's what a year of health and finance conferences showed about where marketers really stand on AI.
Some things have taken a long time to return to “normal” after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021. Obviously, trade shows and conferences were impossible during lockdowns, and it seemed to take years for some industries to become comfortable with investing in them again.
This year, as we saw renewed interest in trade show attendance and sponsorship, we decided it was time for Lunne to investigate conferences focused on health and finance marketing, including DMFS-Midwest and SHSMD.
After a year on the conference circuit, one thing stood out: AI came up in every session, but most marketers are still early in using it.
Yes. Based on combined data from the Center for Exhibition Industry Research and UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, event attendance was down 11% in 2023, 4.4% in 2024, and 2% in 2025 [Source]. It is now fully recovered compared to 2019 numbers. However, the strategies for investing in trade shows and conferences have shifted, resulting in lower revenue despite good attendance numbers.
Unless you’re in the business of producing these events, that doesn’t really matter. Key health and finance marketing decision-makers are in attendance, even if they brought along a smaller support staff or dialed back their sponsorship or access levels. If you’re looking to network or sell, these are opportunities once again.
Whether you attend a breakout session about AI or not, you’re going to talk about AI. At each conference, in every session, someone either mentioned how AI enhanced their efforts or discussed how AI disrupts traditional strategies.
And of course, in typical networking conversations during breaks, at lunch, or at the happy hour event at the end of the day, people predictably ask each other how their organization has figured out ways to leverage AI tools. Instead of talking about how the weather is different where you live, people are making this their small talk topic of choice.
Because AI is looming large over every aspect of our lives, I leaned in to see if there’s a tip that I can bring back home and put into practice at Lunne, like so many other attendees. What I’ve found is that there are two very different groups of people when it comes to comfort with AI tools.
The gap is in the middle, where companies are comfortable using tools for more than quick content and images. A few have dabbled in developing their own AI agents, put a chatbot on their website to help customers find information quickly, or infused AI tools into internal processes to help teams be more productive.
One of the more intriguing takeaways regarding AI in these highly regulated industries is how much marketers are concerned about, or know about, protecting proprietary information when using AI tools. While the most advanced users have built their own closed GPTs with safeguards in place, many marketers seem to be unaware that the information they share could become public knowledge. Especially regarding research studies, unannounced product launches, and consumer/patient information, marketers must be careful not to accidentally “leak” information to LLMs.
Expect AI to stay at the center of the agenda, with more focus on how to use it than on whether to use it. For Lunne, we plan to continue attending the right conferences and sponsorship opportunities that matter most to our health and finance clients. The post-COVID world is different in terms of meetings, networking, and idea sharing. It takes more effort to get time with people in person than it did prior to 2020. Trade shows and conferences feel almost like a trip back in time, where happy hours, introductions, and new ideas don’t happen over Teams.
When you have your intention and goals defined, these events can be worth the effort (and cost). Start with clear goals before you book anything.
1. Decide what success looks like: meetings booked, leads, partnerships, or brand visibility.
2. Pick events where your buyers actually go, not just the biggest ones.
3. Plan your booth, content, and follow-up before the event, not after.
4. Know where your team stands on AI, because buyers will ask.
For the full checklist, see Lunne’s Ultimate Trade Show Guide.
If you’re having a hard time pulling your plans together, we can help! Reach out to turn your plans into action.
FAQ section
Yes. Trade show attendance was back to 2019 levels by 2025, and decision-makers are attending again. For B2B brands in health and finance, events remain one of the most efficient ways to meet buyers in person. Clear goals and the right event mix matter more than they did before 2020.
The AI understanding gap is the divide between marketers still experimenting with AI tools and teams using AI strategically. Advanced teams focus on AI search visibility, earned media, and consistent messaging. Most companies fall in between, using AI for tasks without a plan for how AI engines find and describe their brand.
The biggest risk is entering proprietary or protected information into public AI tools. That includes research, unreleased products, and patient or consumer data. Regulated brands should set clear policies on approved tools and the data allowed in them before they scale AI use.
AI will stay at the center of conference agendas, with the conversation moving from whether to use it to how to use it well. In-person connection takes more effort than before 2020, so companies are choosing fewer, more targeted events with clear networking and lead goals.
Set goals before you register, such as meetings booked, qualified leads, or partnerships. Choose events your buyers attend, plan booth content and follow-up in advance, and track results against your goals. Lunne's Ultimate Trade Show Guide covers each step.