LAS VEGAS — Show organizers and executives gathered in Las Vegas March 20-23 for the 2023 show. Society of Independent Trade Fair Organizers (SISO) CEO SummitThe four-day event offered educational sessions on a wide variety of topics, from insights into the coming years to talent trends and employee expectations to M&A prospects, as well as networking opportunities for attendees.
CEO Panel – Beyond Recovery!, moderated by Mary Larkin, President of Diversified communicationsshared their thoughts on the years ahead. All agreed that the trade show and events industry is back and stronger than most expected. The panel included Lisa Hannant, CEO of Clarion Events; Hervé Sedky, CEO of EmeraldNancy Walsh, President – North America for Information markets; and Fernando Fischer, President of RX Global Americas.
These thought leaders shared key areas of focus for the future of the trade show industry, including rising costs; greater diversity of staff, customers and attendees; providing digital and technology tools to provide a better customer and attendee experience, such as wayfinding and matchmaking; and changing sales strategies that are more akin to a value-priced model.
“Now that we look beyond the post-pandemic economic recovery, the exhibition sector is more resilient, more adaptable to rapidly changing circumstances and ready to seize the unprecedented opportunity to innovate our businesses,” Sedky said.
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In another session, organizers discussed how they build community with high engagement levels and create experiences that lead to financial success. Panelists explained that thinking about events in terms of gatherings, not just net square footage, as well as understanding that the product is the experience and providing dedicated experiential spaces help build a sense of community. As an example, Denise Medved, Senior Vice President, gave a concrete example of this approach. Silver 20/20 USA At Ascential, he said 35% of the Money 20/20 exhibition space was paid space and the rest was dedicated to experiences.
With digital interactions expected throughout the year since the pandemic, the session “The Power of Digital Communities in Live Event Performance” featured a panel discussing how leading organizers are implementing new strategies to drive audience engagement through digital platforms. Key takeaways from the discussion included creating micro-journeys where community hubs and solutions are provided, data management is imperative to delivering best-in-class service, and content teams and digital delivery teams provide different expertise to event organizers.
Information from Freeman Trends Report Q1 2023 Event Attendee Intent and Behavior have been shared, and the data shows that there is a strong preference for in-person events over virtual events, with 80% of respondents saying they would choose in-person formats over remote.
As mentioned in other sessions, people want to attend in-person events, and the survey data revealed that NGEGs want to connect at the events they attend because they are a group seeking belonging, engagement, and meaning as important parts of their professional identity.
Don’t miss our complete coverage of this important industry event in the May issue of Trade Show Executive magazine. Subscribe to TSX Magazine to receive the monthly magazine.
Contact Hervé Sedky at herve.sedky@emeraldx.com; Vincent Polito, CEO of SISO, at Vinnie@siso.org; Mary Larkin, President of SISO, at MLarkin@divcom.com