CHICAGO — When SC25: The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis (SC for short), took place in St. Louis in November of 2025, it was already recognized as a Trade Show Executive Gold 100 and Fastest 50 show for its size and fast growth the year before.
Its 2025 performance included an 8.9% increase in exhibit space and a 13.8% increase in the number of exhibitors. Even with an 8.16% decrease in attendance, reporting 16,626 attendees in 2025, the show increased its professional attendance by nearly 2,000 individual attendees over 2024.
The team behind the event, which is co-sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery and the IEEE Computer Society, is ready to capitalize on the momentum of the fast-evolving high-performance computing sector. Through the dedication of volunteers at the co-sponsoring organizations and companies that donate time and equipment to make the show come to life, SC is on track to continue growing in size and scope.
With an expert blend of education and networking, and a focus on relevant education guided by industry insights, SC26 is shaping up to deliver high value and exceed attendee expectations for live events later this year.
Blending Educational Formats for a Cohesive Experience
While over time SC has evolved from a technical conference focused on research in the high-performance computing industry into an exhibit-first event, SC has maintained its strong technical programming.
The call for papers for SC serves to help curate educational content, but it also signals to organizers where there’s growth opportunities within the show.
“If there’s growth in the submissions, then that means that there’s interest now in a new technology area, or they’ve introduced some new areas they’re going to focus on,” said Silvia Ceballos, Director of Conferences for the IEEE Computer Society. “Paper submissions drive a lot more sponsorship opportunities, and it drives new attendees to come participate in the event too.”
Alongside the topics, part of what makes SC’s educational content so impactful is the offering of various educational formats to meet the needs of every type of attendee. The show blends white paper presentations, workshops, roundtable discussions and topic-based networking events to ensure information reaches professionals where they’re at.
“Everyone receives information differently, and it was important for the team to be able to create different ways to do that. We’re constantly talking about that, like if presentations should be shorter,” Ceballos said. “You also want to be able to accommodate international attendees too, and they may have difficulty if it’s going too fast, so that’s why we have different types of presentations.
“The hybrid portion of it has been challenging though, because do you make it a separate thing, do you include it with the technical program onsite? So, the team’s been experimenting with that to see what it does to the experience, but overall, they do a good job creating different opportunities on how to receive that information.”
One aspect of SC that is especially a hit with attendees is the Birds of a Feather programming, which allows attendees to engage in topic-specific conversations led by subject matter experts (SMEs), blending networking and education together for an impactful discussion.
Another programming element that’s resonating with attendees, while serving to provide education and networking, is mentorship sessions. These sessions allow rising leaders in the industry to meet with leaders and SMEs to discuss career trajectory, advice and other relevant topics.
“Attendees like the opportunity to be able to speak to SMEs, and the team makes sure that the program gives them enough time to do that,” Ceballos said. “When the program is too jam packed, they don’t have these opportunities.”
The Bigger Picture: SC is delivering on something the recent Freeman Trends Reports have been reiterating the last year and a half. Networking is a high-value aspect of events — successful networking is the No. 1 reason an attendee says they’d return to an event — and needs to be designed intentionally. Sixty-three percent of attendees in the report said SMEs contribute to networking success, and SC’s feedback from the Birds of a Feather program demonstrates that point.
Reversing the Trend: Attendee Acquisition Strategies for 2026 Focus on Students
Slated to take place Nov. 15-20 at Chicago’s McCormick Place in 2026, SC is focused on diversifying its program from last year to continue drawing in new attendees, while leveraging opportunities around networking to serve as another draw for professionals.
“A lot of the time we make assumptions about what will work, but when we start asking attendees questions like why they’re coming to an event, what they hope to gain from it and what is that didn’t have that they wish we did, we’re putting the attendee experience first and that leads you to a successful show,” Ceballos said.
In response to attendee feedback, the show is also focused on developing student experiences to bring emerging professionals to the industry, like more mentorship sessions and competitions.
“We’re seeing in a lot of our events that where you’re seeing growth, there are opportunities to network. That has been a big focus for this event, and so the team creates those spaces and opportunities for students to network, talk to and receive mentorship from industry folks and academics,” Ceballos said. “That’s generated a lot of excitement for the attendees.”
To get more events industry news, subscribe to TSE’s free e-newsletter on LinkedIn or through your email.
