Trade shows are designed as business services to encourage business travel and business value for the triad of organizers, exhibitors, and visitors. This study draws on the theoretical base of trade show literature and the new service development (NSD) process for trade show innovation to propose an inductive and exploratory approach to researching this process in the exhibition industry. Based on qualitative elite interviews conducted from an organizer's perspective in two countries, Germany and Poland, it aims to profile the stages of NSD for new trade show innovations through analysis of the decision-making methodology and evaluation criteria used in this process. Structured interview data collected from 34 trade show organizers, offers empirical evidence for the strong relevance of trade show innovations in both developed and emerging exhibition markets. The study reveals that demand-related considerations are primary decision factors in the idea screening phase. Diverse partnership models are used for concept development, space-related revenue components are dominant in the business analysis phase, though value-added service revenues are close in terms of relevance. Two main clusters of organizers differ in terms of the methodology they use for evaluation, though both cite thorough analysis as vital in order to enable sustained innovation activity. The theoretical and managerial implications of the study findings suggest key methodology to apply and decision criteria to evaluate before authorizing a trade show innovation project. The study contributes a starting point to better understand the organizers motives and business perspective of trade shows and the process to initiate trade show innovation for new and growing exhibition centers and business destinations.