HOUSTON, Texas — The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE)® held its “Show for Shows,” Expo! Expo!, IAEE’s Annual Meeting and Exhibition, at the George R. Brown Convention Center Dec. 8-11.
This year’s theme was ONE EPIC EVENT, and it kicked off with an opening party hosted by Visit Houston. Taking place on Avenida Plaza outside of the convention center, the party showcased the IAEE/TSNN Awards, a variety of F&B featuring global flavors and hometown favorites, an exciting drone show above the venue, live entertainment and the opportunity to connect with fellow professionals before the show floor opened the next morning.
General Session Opens with High Energy
The show opened with a general session, where attendees were greeted with lively music, t-shirt cannons and takeaways like stress balls to set the tone for the next two days.
During the session, the CEM graduates were recognized, plans for the future of the association were shared by leadership, and this year’s Chairperson’s Award recipient and CEM Fellow, Julie Smith, Senior Vice President of Business Development at GES, was revealed.
“It is an honor to stand before you as the Chair of IAEE to reflect on an extraordinary year, one shaped by bold decisions grounded in strategy and aligned with the core values who define who we are,” Chuck Grouzard, 2025 IAEE Chairperson and Executive Vice President of Business Development, Creative and Design at GES, said. “I firmly believe that when our decisions are rooted in purpose and when they reflect innovation, community, learning and networking, they move us closer to IAEE’s vision to be the voice and the home for the exposition and events industry.”
At the session, Grouzard passed the baton to Brian Pagel, 2026 IAEE Chairperson and Executive Vice President at Emerald.
The general session also featured a keynote from Kyle Scheele, who inspired attendees to think creatively about constraints, strive for innovation and pursue big ideas with constructive constraints.
To seamlessly blend the show to its educational content, sessions took place directly on the show floor in learning zones, so that attendees were able to learn, meet with exhibitors and network all in one place. Once the general session ended, the airwalls in the hall were opened to allow people to flow directly into the show floor.
Powerful Educational Opportunities
Five learning zones on the Expo! Expo! show floor brought the event’s education straight into the action and offered more than 50 sessions.
The content tracks included:
1. Captivate, Engage, Elevate: The Ultimate Marketing Playbook
Sponsored by New Orleans & Company and the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, this track provided attendees with an understanding of the latest trends, practices and strategies for successful marketing in today’s fast-paced business environment, exploring content creation, brand management, attendee acquisition, customer engagement and more topics.
This track included “Event Marketing Trends: The Ones That Stuck & The Ones That Sucked,” where Bibi Brown, MBA, Senior Vice President of Business Development at GES, Casey Clements, Vice President of Marketing at Fast Forward Events and a 2025 TSE Woman to Watch, and Krystal Herring, Head of Global Events at Twitch, surveyed tactics heading into 2025.
The participants examined wellness, a popular trend, with Clements noting that certain tactics can seem gimmicky and separate attendees from others.
Clements works to organize experiences that balance wellness, noting that most attendees travel to events to make business connections and learn.
“Why are we here… is it to play with puppies or is it to do business?” Clements asked. “As organizers, we have a very delicate balance that we have to strike.”
2. Monetize & Maximize: Sales and Sponsorship Mastery
This Louisville-Tourism-sponsored experience looked at practical tactics and methods for identifying, building and enhancing exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities, and highlighted new revenue paths and ways to develop selling skills to meet ongoing customer needs.
Sessions included “More Than Money: Rethinking Sponsorships to Drive Value & Engagement,” “Becoming a Social Media Sales Warrior: Strategies That Drive Revenue” and “Aligning Leadership & Sales: A C-Suite Strategy for Event Revenue.”
3. Event Excellence: Elevating Design, Operations and Engagement
Sponsored by GES and onPeak, this track was a comprehensive exploration of the strategic and operational nuances of trade shows and events, and offered useful takeaways and creative ideas for elevating planning and execution.
In “Design Thinking For Trade Show Impact: Tools to Rethink Strategy & Spark Engagement,” Jessica Wiitala, Ph.D., MBA, CMM, Assistant Professor of Event Management at High Point University, described how organizers can use design thinking, a problem solving methodology that allows you to work in a human-centric way, to benefit your show.
“My recommendation is to start small,” Wiitala advised. “Pick one pain point that your attendees, clients, vendors or one of your stakeholders have to address this quarter.”
4. Forward Thinking: Innovations and Insights Shaping the Future
This T3-Expo-sponsored experience was curated to give participants forward-thinking perspectives on workforce development, data analysis and cutting-edge trends.
In “The Experience Generation: How Gen Z is Shaping The Future of Tradeshows,” Traci King, Factional Chief Revenue Officer at SB Expos & Events, and Liam McNicholl, Exhibitor Experience Manager, Corporate Relations, at the Society of Interventional Radiology, held an impactful discussion.
“Gen Z is here. We’re in the room, we’re in the industry and we’re going to continue to grow into this workforce,” McNicholl said. “For those of you that aren’t Gen Z, I want you to take a moment to reimagine how the industry first looked when you joined, how it’s changed over the years … and how you can help facilitate that constant evolution for Gen Z. Your creativity and your connection to people are your biggest tools for future-proofing events … You matter because you’re the voice of a generation.”
5. The Power of AI’s Impact on Event Evolution
GES and onPeak fueled this vital track, which looked at hands-on applications and tips for integrating AI-powered solutions into trade show operations to optimize resource allocation, drive productivity, reduce costs, streamline logistical processes and enhance the attendee experience.
During “AI That Wows: Beyond Digital Duct Tape” Dahlia El Gazzar from DAHLIA+Agency demoed AI tools that can make organizers’ jobs better.
These included:
- Google NotebookLM, a content organization tool that helps users streamline their workflow, enhance learning and boost creativity
- Gamma, which can make slides with consistent branding in minutes
- Otter, which records conversations and can create transcriptions, summaries and more
- Pomelli by Google Labs, a marketing tool to help businesses write on-brand, scalable content
New Sustainability Sanctuary Provided Actionable Tips and Impactful Workshops
Also, for the first time, IAEE offered a Sustainability Sanctuary. This space, located right on the show floor, encouraged industry leaders, solution providers and sustainability advocates to work together to tackle real-world challenges with discussions and workshops.
On Tuesday, Dec. 9, Sydney Rhea, Sustainability Project Delivery Manager at Informa Markets and a 2024 TSE Woman to Watch, set the stage: “We’re going to challenge everything you think you know about sustainability in events … It’s about revolutionizing your business model for profitability and competitive advantage.
“We’re in the middle of a revolution happening faster than anyone expected. The early adopters are gaining significant competitive advantages … We want you to walk away feeling empowered that you can make a difference … [and] that transformation starts right here, right now.”
To get recaps of sessions from these tracks and the Sustainability Sanctuary, stay tuned to TSE and subscribe to our free e-newsletter on LinkedIn or through your email.
ESCA Winter Awards & Celebration
Also taking place during Expo! Expo!, the Exhibition Services and Contractors Association (ESCA) held its annual Winter Awards & Celebration at The Astorian on Dec. 7. The event’s theme of A Night of Black Gold captured the essence of Texas’ cowboy culture and glamour.
It also brought membership together to celebrate the end of a strong year and recognize some of the stars among its ranks that are making positive contributions to the trade show and exhibition industry.
This year’s award winners include:
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Ray Pekowski, Founder of The Expo Group
- Innovation Award: MatchPoint
- Humanitarian Award: Ryan Yemm, President and CEO of HERITAGE
- Diversity & Inclusion Award: Steve Margos, Chief Operating Officer at Shepard, and Marlena Sullivan, Editor at Exhibit City News
- Rising Leader Award: Will Estes, Sustainability Manager at Emerald Carpets
One Epic Ending
This year’s Expo! Expo! capped off with an energizing closing party at The Rustic, hosted by Visit Milwaukee — the host city next year’s event destination. With its Texas charm, impressive stage set-up and performers and light bites, the closing party brought attendees together one last time before departing from the show.
Next year’s Expo! Expo! will take place Nov. 16-18 at the Baird Center in Milwaukee.
