Held March 31-April 3 at the Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) CEO Summit 2025 broke attendance records with a total of 325 attendees, of which 22% were first-timers, said SISO CEO Vinnie Polito.
The annual gathering attracted a who’s who of industry leaders, with representatives from all major independent trade show companies, including Informa, RX, Clarion, Access Intelligence, Diversified, Emerald, and more.
If you didn’t attend this year’s event or you want to relive the highlights, we’ve got you covered. Here’s… more
Association Show News
Sponsored by
Apr 11, 2025
According to the Events Industry Council (EIC), event sustainability means taking action towards preserving our natural environment; promoting a healthy, inclusive society, and supporting a thriving economy. For most events, this usually translates into cutting back energy and water usage and reducing waste. But some event organizers are going the extra mile to make a difference by launching initiatives such as using algae as ink or offering onsite sustainability tours.
EarthX
From its humble beginnings as an Earth Day street festival in Dallas, EarthX has now grown into a large-scale,… more
Apr 09, 2025
The U.S. business-to-business (B2B) exhibition industry continues to rebound, recording the strongest quarter since the pandemic in the fourth quarter (Q4) 2024, according to the recently released Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) Index that measures exhibition performance for exhibitors, attendance, net square footage, and real revenues.
“Recent results confirm the continued recovery in trade show activity through the end of last year,” said Tourism Economics President Adam Sacks. “This year our baseline outlook remains positive, though we expect economic and policy… more
Apr 03, 2025
The Events Industry Council (EIC) unveiled its Futures Landscape Report 2025, which offers a comprehensive analysis of the factors poised to shape the global business events industry in the coming years. Released on March 10, this forward-looking report synthesizes insights from a global survey of business event stakeholders, as well as a series of think-tank workshops consisting of leaders from EIC’s more than 60 members, strategic partners, and volunteer leaders sharing their unique insights and perspectives.
Developed in collaboration with the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (… more
Apr 01, 2025
Food waste is a massive issue in the U.S., with 51% of food waste from retailers like convention centers and hotels ending up in landfills, contributing to methane emissions that make landfills the third-largest source of methane in the country, said Nancy St. Pierre, director of communications for Denali, an organic waste disposal and recycling services company.
To combat this growing problem, Denali is partnering with convention centers across North America to divert food waste from landfills and turn it into compost and other reusable materials. One of its latest collaborations is with… more
Mar 31, 2025
PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, recently launched PACK EXPO Southeast, bringing together more than 6,700 attendees and 2,800 exhibitor personnel for 9,500 total. The inaugural event, held March 10-12 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, brought a new regional audience to connect and drive the future of packaging and processing.
The three-day event, which will run biennially, featured 504 exhibiting companies across 115,000 net square feet. The event served more than 40 vertical markets, including food and beverage, automotive, life sciences,… more
Mar 26, 2025
Cost and budgeting are the No. 1 concern for exhibitors when it comes to their trade show program, according to a new survey by The Exhibitor Advocate, a non-profit dedicated to trade show exhibitor success.
With post-pandemic costs fluctuating––sometimes even skyrocketing––from year to year, how can exhibit marketers get ahead of inflationary price jumps and budget appropriately to support their trade show programs? And how can show organizers help their exhibitors through these challenges to keep them coming back to their events year after year?
To address these challenges, the… more
Mar 25, 2025
When the American Fence Association (AFA) gathered for its annual convention and trade show in February at the Salt Palace Convention Center, FENCETECH increased the number of its exhibitors from 310 in 2024 to 343 in 2025, reflecting a year-over-year growth of 10.6%. Of those,103 exhibitors were new.
After posting record attendance of 7,517 in Nashville last year, the rotating event attracted 5,128 fence industry professionals to Salt Lake City from February 24 to 28. Major sponsors included companies like Ameristar Fence & Security Products, D&D Technologies USA, Master Halco,… more
Mar 20, 2025
This month, several event marketing agencies and DMCs have announced major mergers and acquisitions as they seek to increase their market share, expand their global reach, strengthen their capabilities, and broaden their client services.
Freeman Acquires Tag Digital
Global event company Freeman has acquired UK-based full-service digital marketing agency Tag Digital, specializing in innovative solutions for event organizers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), Asia-Pacific (APAC)[TD1] , and North America. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Tag will combine its services with… more
Mar 17, 2025
The International Housewares Association (IHA) held the 125th edition of its tentpole annual event, the Inspired Home Show (IHS), March 2-4. As it has since its inception, the housewares trade show—the largest of its kind in North America—took place in Chicago, at McCormick Place.
“We’ve enjoyed a long history in Chicago,” IHA's president and CEO Derek Miller said of IHS, which was rebranded from the International Home + Housewares Show in 2019. “As of now, we’ve got dates protected at McCormick Place through 2030,” he told TSNN, noting that the show has grown along with Chicago’s venue… more
Partner Voices
MGM Resorts is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse culture, not just among employees and guests but also within its supply chain. The company prioritizes procuring goods and services from businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals and those facing economic disadvantages. This commitment is integral to MGM Resorts' global procurement strategy.
Through its voluntary supplier diversity program, MGM Resorts actively identifies and connects certified diverse-owned suppliers to opportunities within its supply chain. The company is on track to spend at least 15% of its biddable procurement with diverse-owned businesses by 2025, demonstrating that supplier diversity is not only a social responsibility but also a strategic business imperative.
Supplier diversity isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s good for business. A diverse supply chain allows access to a broader range of perspectives and experience, helping to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience, while strengthening communities. At MGM Resorts, engaging diverse suppliers ensures best-in-class experiences for guests and clients. Supplier diversity ensures a more resilient supply chain while supporting economic development in the communities in which it operates.
The impact of MGM Resorts' supplier diversity initiatives is significant. In 2023, these efforts supported over 3,500 jobs across more than 30 states, contributed over $214 million in income for diverse-owned businesses and generated more than $62 million in tax revenue. The story extends beyond the numbers – it reflects the tangible benefits brought to small and diverse-owned businesses, fostering economic empowerment in their communities.
MGM Resorts also supports the development and business skills of diverse-owned businesses through investment, mentorship and education. Through the MGM Resorts Supplier Diversity Mentorship Program, the company identifies, mentors and develops diverse-owned businesses to fill its future pipeline, while providing businesses with tools and resources to empower and uplift. Since 2017, the program has successfully graduated 105 diverse-owned businesses and is on track to achieve its goal of 150 graduates by 2025.
MGM Resorts’ commitment to supplier diversity not only enhances its business operations but also plays a crucial role in uplifting communities and fostering economic development. This approach reinforces the idea that diversity is a powerful driver of innovation and resilience, benefiting both the company and the wider community.