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spoke with two
I Las Vegas-based retailrelated trade shows on the impact of the Trump tariffs and visa challenges during their respective second editions. Both Emerald Expositions’ ASD and Fashion by Informa’ s co-located MAGIC, PROJECT, and Sourcing at MAGIC expos have been impacted by these policies.
Special thanks to Karalynn Sprouse, EVP, Emerald Expositions and Greg Kerwin, SVP of Informa’ s Fashion portfolio for their time in August. Interestingly, both events have substantial Sourcing areas filled with exhibitors from all over the world.
Q: What’ s the impact on tariffs so far vis-à-vis your international exhibitors? KS: Emerald’ s overall exposure to tariffs is limited – international exhibitors account for approximately 10 % of our total revenue. While we have experienced some sales pressure from tariff-affected regions like China and Canada, these have been offset by strength in markets such as Brazil, Germany, and Italy, which are actively leaning into opportunities created by shifting trade dynamics.
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GK: The tariffs have been incredibly disruptive. Twenty percent of our show is international. This edition we have 90 countries represented, with exhibitors from 40 countries. Our Sourcing event is the most global area of the shows, but these exhibitors run on paper-thin margins. Within Informa, we are internally sharing information throughout the company. It’ s not just our shows – our colleagues are seeing disruption across the board.
Q: What are your international exhibitors saying about them? KS: Some international exhibitors have expressed concern, particularly from tariff-affected regions. However, overall sentiment remains stable, with many continuing to prioritise US events to maintain access to the world’ s largest buyer market. We’ re also seeing stronger engagement such as the aforementioned countries benefiting from trade shifts. GK: As a leading event in our sector, we have a responsibility to the market. We have worked closely with our international exhibitors to help them navigate this complicated time. As an example, we’ ve held webinars with our team and policy experts to aid that effort.
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Top right: Greg Kerwin
Bottom right: Karalynn Sprouse
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Q: How has your Sourcing area been affected?( exhibitors not returning, more challenging sales?) KS: We’ ve seen some pressure in sourcing categories that rely heavily on international participation – particularly from regions like China and Canada – due to shifting trade policies, geopolitical uncertainty, and logistical challenges. That said, ASD’ s global sourcing footprint remains strong, thanks in large part to Emerald’ s international agent network of 100 + agents across 50 + countries.
This global reach has helped us proactively mitigate participation gaps and continue attracting qualified sourcing and international exhibitors from key markets in Asia, Latin
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20 Issue 5 2025 |
www. exhibitionworld. co. uk |