Trump: The Impact on Experiential

The Trump administration’s introduction of tariffs on UK goods will likely see wide reaching consequences beyond the manufacturing sector, with significant, and potentially unseen, knock-on effects for the UK’s live event and experiential marketing industries. 

It’s early days; we are all yet to fully understand the commercial or political intent behind the move, never mind the global reaction.

But while these tariffs were primarily aimed at physical goods, they stand to disrupt global operations for agencies whose work depends on seamless international logistics, cross-border collaboration, and predictable costs.

UK experiential agencies often deliver high-profile activations for global brands, including in the U.S., a key market for large-scale live experiences. Tariffs will increase the cost of exporting materials, branded assets, and technical equipment needed for immersive activations, leading to tighter margins, logistical delays, and greater complexity in project delivery.

The automotive industry offers a clear example of this disruption. UK car brands are now facing significant tariffs on imports into the U.S., and in some cases have already made tough business decisions, but they’re also regular participants at major U.S. motor shows and consumer expos. These experiences, often produced by UK agencies, involve not only vehicles, but complex, high-impact brand activations. With costs rising, brands may be forced to scale back U.S. activity, redirecting spend elsewhere.

But this shift also presents potential opportunity. As focus pivots away from the U.S., we may see more brands activate in fast-growing markets across Asia and the Middle East, regions that continue to invest heavily in events and innovation. UK agencies with international reach, local knowledge, and flexible delivery models are well placed to ride out the storm, and perhaps even benefit from a rebalanced global experiential landscape.

Stuart Parker, Collaborate Global