ESCA SEC 2026 Provides Tactical Learnings in Stunning Banff

BANFF, Alberta, CA — The Exhibition Services and Contractors Association (ESCA) held its annual Summer Educational Conference at the Fairmont Banff Springs in Canada’s province of Alberta. The event took place June 28-July 2, and brought together professionals from contractors, vendors and venues for valuable networking and education. This year marked the second highest attended conference in ESCA’s history. 

“Our theme this year was Perspective, and I think Banff naturally reinforced that. It gave everyone permission to slow down just enough to invest in each other,” said Julie Kagy, CEM, Executive Director of ESCA. “We spend so much of our careers moving from convention center to convention center, focused on the next deadline or the next show. This week reminded us why we do what we do in the first place.

“For me, the highlight was simply having the space to be present. The conversations over coffee before sessions. Watching longtime members reconnect while first-time attendees were welcomed into the community. The one-on-one discussions after education sessions that often became more impactful than the presentations themselves.”

Trade Show Executive, a media partner of the association, was on the ground at the event to compile and share takeaways from this year’s program. 

Tactical Takeaways from ESCA’s Education

A major draw for ESCA’s Summer Educational Conference is the access to high-level conversations and insights the programming provides. This year’s programming touched on important topics like addressing rising costs, exploring the economic and political landscape, understanding venue modernization ideas and labor updates.  

“In Banff, surrounded by some of the world’s most striking landscapes, attendees were invited to step back, see the exhibition ecosystem differently and leave with a clearer vision and stronger leadership,” said Rachel Rodean, Director of Education and Events at ESCA. “This week was designed to put our industry, our work and our future into perspective.” 

Here are TSE’s top takeaways from each session: 

• To meet the needs of future attendees, event venues are investing in the margins, where value is being generated, like more flex space, digital signage and room for activations. The venue leaders also talked about the need for finding efficiencies to help alleviate the pressures being felt due to rising costs, and for leaders across the events ecosystem to come to together to find ways to thrive as an industry and not as individual businesses. (The Evolution of Venues: What’s Next for Convention Centers, presented by Chris Schimek, Chief Operating Officer, Freeman; Larita Clark, CEO, Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority; Mark Tester, Executive Director, Orange County Convention Center; Freddie Peterson, General Manager, Miami Beach Convention Center.) 

• In an interactive polling session, leaders in the room shared that their greatest challenges in the next 12 months will revolve around growth, staffing, innovation and labor relations. (The Pulse of the Room, presented by Marc Ghafoori, Senior Vice President, Client Experience at Heritage.) 

• Global business events attracted 1.65 trillion participants last year, which generated $1.3 trillion in direct spending, and the U.S. represents 17% of the business meetings events market, contributing $96 billion to GDP, while being at the 92% mark for recovery to 2019 levels. And, while the industry faces challenges like tariffs, inflation and geopolitical activity, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) is publishing reports to help organizers and partners strengthen their planning and strategy. (Inside the Data: CEIR Insights for Industry Leaders, presented by Marsha Flanagan, CEM, M. Ed., President and CEO, International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE)®.) 

• Inflation is poised to stage a comeback, as interest rates stay higher for longer, and consumers continue to feel exhausted financially and pessimistic about circumstances’ worsening. Comparing prices from May 2020 to May 2026, energy prices are up 88.1%, transportation prices are up 55.9% and food prices are up 30.1%. Despite this though, the U.S. economy is projected to see growth in 2026, mostly driven by spending in AI architecture and infrastructure. (First Brood, presented by Anirban Basu, Chairman and CEO, Sage Policy Group.) 

• While the rise in AI is increasing the importance of face-to-face interactions, the growing complexity of events and experiential marketing is driving a need for external support: explaining the growing presence of private equity in the industry. For service providers to win investment in this landscape, they will need: global coverage, high-touch strategic creative and execution, knowledge of and delivery of new technology, access to scale and partnerships with key vendors and strong vertical expertise. (M&A 101: Why Events Are Red Hot, and What Investors Reward in a Business, presented by Alexander Easdale, Director, Plural Strategy.) 

• The greatest benefit of AI may not be speed, but instead in using the technology to gain perspectives and better individuals’ work. Collaboration with AI will be key, and leaders should continue to experiment with different models to help see where there are opportunities for efficiencies and quality enhancements. (Empowering Event Profs to Thrive with AI, presented by Nick Borelli, Director of Marketing, Zenus.) 

• There have been significant changes to labor law under the Trump Administration, including the impact of Executive Order 2025-03, titled “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy,” around the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), which has led to reduced services. The Department of Labor is also increasing its annual financial reporting requirements for unions, and The Faster Labor Contracts Act, if passed, would mandate strict negotiation schedules for first contracts. There is also a need to stay updated on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) as various employers have challenged its constitutionality and some states are toying with the idea of creating mini-NLRBs in response, which could complicate the labor landscape further. (Labor Relations in an Era of Federal Uncertainty, presented by Hope Goldstein, Shareholder, Vedder.)

  

• The leaders behind exhibition services and contractor companies are aware there is a breaking point coming with rising costs. There is a strong need for leaders to focus on how they can increase and better explain the value they provide to exhibitors, because the costs of doing business are not going down. (At the Table: The Conversations Shaping Our Industry’s Future, presented by Randy Pekowski, President and CEO, The Expo Group; Glenn Charles, Jr., President and CEO, Show Strategy, Inc.; and Larry Grossenbacher, President, CSI Worldwide.) 

• Trends the industry can expect to see continue through 2026 and into 2027 include: 1) We’re living in a politics-first world, and that extends to events, 2) We’re in a high-cost environment, 3) There is softness in international travel levels to the U.S., 4) The deal-making environment for the events industry is strong, 5) Workforce development is having its moment on Capitol Hill, especially for skilled trades, 6) We’re in a sustainability recession, but the pendulum will swing back hard with the next Democratic administration, 7) The Trump Administration is all-in on AI with few regulations, which is causing blowback against the technology to grow. (The America Frist Business Events Industry, presented by Tommy Goodwin, President and CEO, Exhibitions and Conferences Alliance.) 

Leadership-Focused Sessions Provide Inspiration 

Aside from highly tactical learnings, the conference also provided inspiration to attendees through various keynotes and sessions that tackled leadership philosophies. 

Top takeaways from those sessions include: 

• Bold leaders implement changes and don’t just strategize. Turning ideas into action while embracing small experimentation is critical to an innovative culture because “planning is not progress.” Bold leaders also don’t spend all of their time investing in current client needs, and have a focus on investing in future activities, like learning or experiences at events, to help ensure the business is on the cutting edge when changes come. (Elevating Events Through Bold Leadership, presented by Monica Cohen, CEO of the American Cider Association, and Keynote Speaker.) 

• Just taking one minute to evaluate a situation and slow down before taking action can prevent an accident. The Exhibitions Industry Collective will be championing The Maverick Minute, named in honor of a young boy who lost his life alongside his great grandmother in a farming accident, to ensure events industry professionals are keeping themselves and others safe and protected throughout the entire show cycle, from communications to moving in and out of show halls. (Take a Maverick Minute: One Minute That Can Change Everything, presented by Julie Kagy, Executive Director, ESCA and Stephanie Flinn, Board President, The Maverick Minute Foundation.) 

• With similar offerings limiting differentiation between providers, exhibition services need to think of their companies as brands to get to a point of emotional differentiation to retain business and aim to become the partner show organizers would feel bad replacing. (Winning the “Unreasonable” Bid: How Exhibition Brands Create Irrational Loyalty and Stop Competing on Price, presented by Deb Gabor, Founder and CEO, Sol Marketing.) 

• Performance at a company isn’t a talent problem; it’s a conditions problem. If leaders follow the pillars of creating psychological safety, deeply understanding their employees and constantly connecting, business leaders can generate higher loyalty and retention among their workforces. (Leadership Rewired: The Operating System for High-Performing Leaders, presented by Danny Goldberg, Entrepreneur.) 

“We created a really well-rounded program that brought together different perspectives while still having consistent themes woven throughout the entire experience. What stood out to me was how personal and engaging the conversations felt,” said Rodean. “We had high-energy sessions that had the room laughing and completely engaged, sessions that were data-driven where you could see attendees leaning in wanting to learn more, and emotional moments that brought everyone together and reminded us of the human impact behind what we do. 

“Those are the moments that showcase the true power of live events. It’s not just about the content being delivered, it’s about creating an environment where people feel connected, inspired and part of something bigger.” 

Connection-Building Stays Top of Mind 

Outside the session room, there was a small exhibitor showcase, featuring Aluvision, Inc., beMatrix USA, Boomer Commerce, Emerald Carpets, exhibitorinsurance.com, EXPOCAD and Modco from WS Displays, for attendees to explore potential partners to do business with and new offerings. 

The annual conference also featured plenty of built-in time for attendees to talk shop in more informal settings than the conference room. This year’s ESCA event featured immersive experiences like lake tours, fishing trips, golf tournaments, curated meals, and destination-focused exploration to get people outside in the mountain air and connecting over shared experiences.  

“These experiences give attendees the opportunity to connect in a more natural environment, build relationships and create shared memories with their industry peers,” Rodean said. “In our industry, we are fortunate to travel all over the country and the world, but so often our experience is limited to the convention center, a client dinner and the airport. We wanted to change that. Our goal is to allow attendees to be the customer for once and truly experience the destinations we bring them to.” 

“At the end of the conference, I wasn’t most proud of the attendance, the destination or even the program itself. I was most proud of the sense of community,” Kagy said. “You could feel it everywhere, and I think that’s what attendees will remember long after they forget what was on any particular slide.” 

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