Gabrielle Weiss, Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, Trade Show Executive
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Senior executives at independent trade show organizers don’t often have the opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, and share experiences and strategies to overcome the challenges they face — and those challenges have become more acute during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There were so many important topics to cover at this year’s Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) Summer Conference, held August 24-26 in Louisville, Kentucky. These included breakthrough innovations, industry advocacy, marketing, operations, revenue and business/management, managing health and safety issues, hotel and venue contracts…the agenda was packed with must-see sessions.
So what really resonated with attendees at this year’s SISO Summer Conference?
- Establish face-to-face connections. Having the opportunity to be in the same room, interacting with colleagues and competitors who truly understand what the last 18 months have been like, has been the highlight for most.
“There’s nothing like meeting colleagues from across industries,” said Hervé Sedky, Emerald’s Chairman and CEO. “I’ve really felt that openness and sharing more than ever – a lot of ‘we’re all in this together’ – and the ability to learn from each other has been inspiring. Sharing best practices, experiences and working together to advocate for each other has been a truly rewarding and energizing experience.”
Mary Larkin, president of Diversified Communications USA and new secretary/treasurer and member of the SISO executive committee, also said the in-person reunion was a highlight of the conference. “I was happy to see people I hadn’t seen since the 2019 event,” she said.
Related. Networking and exhibitions will keep attendees coming back to shows
- Sharing best practices, lessons learned and innovation. In an innovation showcase, five SISO members from Emerald, Clarion Events, Inc., JDC Events, Tarsus Group, and 365 Media shared how they innovated and adapted during the pandemic. This session was one of many that attendees appreciated for providing both a plethora of ideas and practical, ready-to-implement solutions.
- Data-driven insights for health and safety. Epistemix CEO John Cordier’s presentation was notable for many looking to understand and track the impact of COVID-19 on the industry, as well as predict—and navigate—what’s on the horizon. Cordier “provided powerful data for planning for what we’ve experienced over the last 18 months and for predicting the future,” Sedky said. The real-time, city-by-city datasets Cordier presented were particularly helpful for forecasting, including adjustments to specific criteria and varying outcomes based on density and vaccination uptake, masking and non-masking policies, and social distancing criteria. One of the key takeaways from the session: The data shows that even amid the uncertainty caused by the rise of the delta variant, attending an in-person event like a trade show is actually safer than everyday activities like going to the grocery store.
- Advocacy: today and for tomorrow. Another highlight for many was the closing general session with a panel including Herve Sedky of Emerald, Diversified Communications‘ Mary Larkin, Tommy Goodwin of the Exhibition and Conference Alliance (ECA), and David Audrain of SISO. The session explored the steps that ECA and SISO are taking to keep the recovery and advancement of the face-to-face business events sector on the radar screen, and to help government officials understand the important role these events play in economies and job creation as economies in the United States and around the world struggle to recover from the worst of COVID-19.
- The SISO Women’s Leadership Forum and Small Business Roundtable. This year, SISO’s Women’s Leadership Forum tackled some of today’s most challenging topics, including a panel on diversity and inclusion, a session on navigating the “new normal,” and a keynote address by TEDx speaker Megan Bloomer, who specializes in helping women and underrepresented people master the unwritten rules of corporate America so they can break through the ceilings that prevent them from achieving their career goals.
The Small Business Roundtable, hosted by Phil McKay of nGage Events, was also a must-attend event for small business trade show leaders eager to share strategies they’ve used during this uniquely challenging time to keep their businesses going. This year, the new models and approaches these uniquely challenged businesses have found to generate revenue have been especially important as COVID-19 restrictions have made it impossible to continue business as usual.
Related. SISO CEO Summit Highlights: Gratitude, Anticipation, Invigoration and Reinvention
Attendees also got to enjoy the local flavors of the SISO host city, from the SISO Women’s Leadership Forum event at Bluegrass Brewing Co. to a reception and dinner at the Kentucky Derby Museum. But while the venues and food and beverages were a plus, attendees left feeling like they gained a lot from connecting with one another and sharing both their challenges and strategies for success.
According to Sedky, the experience of open sharing and collaboration that took place at this year’s SISO Summer Conference left attendees feeling “finally able to emerge from an abyss – and also to start to see the beginning of the end of this difficult situation.” In short, he said, he came away feeling excited to share and implement some of the strategies; enlightened about the advocacy efforts underway and how the industry needs to come together; and empowered to know that many of the challenges they face are felt by other organizations.
“The overall content of the main program offered useful and relevant information for our industry, especially as we resume events,” Larkin said. “I feel like this was the best conference to date.”
Contact Mary Larkin at (207) 842-5542 or mlarkin@divcom.com; Hervé Sedky at (203) 840-5584 or Herve.Sedky@EmeraldX.com