The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented disruption in the global exhibition and business-events industry. Trade exhibitions, which traditionally depend on face-to-face interaction, product demonstrations, networking, business negotiations and lead generation, were severely affected by lockdowns, travel restrictions, social distancing requirements and cancellation of physical events. This study examines the changing pattern of exhibition participation before, during and after COVID-19, with particular reference to SMEs and business participants in Gujarat, India. The study is based on the primary research contained in the thesis, covering 500 respondents from SMEs and business organizations in Vadodara, Surat and Ahmedabad, Gujarat. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information regarding exhibition participation, business inquiries, lead generation, online and offline exhibitions, and post-pandemic exhibition preferences. Descriptive statistics and inferential techniques, including Chi-square, t-test, ANOVA and McNemar's test, were used in the broader study. The findings demonstrate a sharp decline in physical exhibition participation during COVID-19, accompanied by a substantial shift toward online/virtual exhibitions. Before COVID-19, 76% of respondents participated in offline/physical exhibitions, whereas during COVID-19 this declined to 10%. Online/virtual participation increased from 6% before COVID-19 to 56% during COVID-19. After COVID-19, physical exhibitions recovered to 44%, while hybrid exhibitions increased to 30%. Business lead generation followed a similar pattern: high and very-high lead generation declined substantially during the pandemic but recovered considerably after COVID- 19. The study concludes that COVID-19 permanently accelerated digital transformation in the exhibition industry, but did not eliminate the importance of physical exhibitions. Instead, the post-pandemic exhibition environment is increasingly characterized by hybrid models combining physical interaction with digital technologies.
COVID-19, Exhibition Industry, Trade Exhibitions, SMEs, Virtual Exhibitions, Hybrid Exhibitions, Business Networking, Lead Generation, Gujarat, Digital Transformation.
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