This Just In
CHICAGO — At the 2026 Trade Show Executive (TSE) Fastest 50 Awards & Summit, TSE introduced the Lenay Gore Award of Excellence, in honor of the late industry icon Lenay Gore. The first ever recipient of the award was Jennifer Hoff, CEO of Taffy Event Strategies, who demonstrated the values of the award: dedication to […]
ORLANDO — Hours before thousands of attendees were set to walk the show floor at Ulta Beauty World on April 15, 2026, a pre-dawn fire broke out inside a booth at the Orange County Convention Center, triggering sprinklers, an emergency response and a cleanup effort to keep the event on schedule. No injuries were reported and the show went on. Most attendees were unaware […]
NEW YORK CITY — Apollo Global Management, Inc., announced that Apollo-managed funds have entered into separate definitive agreements to acquire Emerald and Questex. Apollo plans to combine the businesses to create a North American B2B experiential events and media platform, in an all-cash transaction. Together, the organizations have approximately 160 events across complementary end markets. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second half […]
Stewardship in Practice: How Organizers Create Wins for Exhibitors and Sponsors is a contributed article from Ira Gleser. In my previous article in Trade Show Executive, I introduced the concept of stewardship as “taking responsibility for the health, clarity and outcomes of the exhibitor/sponsor relationship by creating value and building trust.” It reframes the organizer’s role from selling space or sponsorships to guiding exhibitors and […]
DALLAS — The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) released its 2026 Marketing Spend Decision Report, examining how exhibitors are allocating marketing budgets across channels, their motivations for trade show participation, how they measure ROI and their outlook for the year. The report provides clear benchmarks for organizers by breaking down exhibitor marketing spend patterns by annual budget size — under $250,000, $250,000-$749,900 and $750,000 or more — so they can better […]
PHILADELPHIA — Before the badge lines form and the first keynote takes the stage, the Pennsylvania Convention Center hums to life in a different key. Light arrives first. It glides across a 79-foot digital ribbon in the Broad Street Atrium, climbs three 28-foot-high vertical screens, bends around corners in luminous arcs and settles into a synchronized media […]
AUSTIN — Not long after being recognized for its high growth at the 2026 Trade Show Executive Fastest 50 Awards & Summit, the Texas Restaurant Association’s Texas Restaurant Show will integrate the Texas Bar & Nightclub Convention starting with its 2026 edition, which is set for July 12-13 at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio. According to Tony Abruscato, the Texas Restaurant Association’s Chief Marketing Officer, this move positions the event as the most comprehensive hospitality trade show in the Southwest. “We saw a […]
ORLANDO — According to the World Economic Forum, the global airline industry expects to fly a record-breaking 9.8 billion passengers in 2026. In 2025, the industry transported its highest volume of cargo to date. While airlines grow, however, their impact on the environment does too: Air travel is responsible for 2-3% of global CO2 emissions. As event professionals who travel more than the average person, how can we make sure we are being responsible and not making this problem worse? Trade Show Executive (TSE) checked […]
CHICAGO — Trade Show Executive (TSE), Lippman Connects and EVOLIO Marketing teamed up once again to conduct an industry survey and study focused on attendee acquisition trends, and found that the industry is struggling with retaining attendees and relies heavily on known audiences in the prospecting process. “This study confirms a lot of what we already knew, including the low level of repeat […]
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands — In 2025, total sales of store brands reached $282.8 billion — an increase of $9 billion year-over-year and a new record. When you organize the major trade shows in this industry, it’s essential to respond to the market and stay ahead of the curve. That’s why organizers at the Private Label […]