Society of Independent Show Organizers - SISO

30/10/2025

A Note from the CEO on the CEO Summit

Over the next week or so, registration for the CEO Summit will open. The Summit is in Kiawah and begins on March 9th. Despite enduring “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”, in 2025, for most of us, it has been a very good year. In just the last month, I have been to several member events, IMEX America (https://imexamerica.com/newfron), and Trade Show Executive Gold 100, and this weekend I visited the New York City Jewelry & Watch Show by Palm Beach Show Group (https://palmbeachshowgroup.com/), where I was impressed by the energy of buyers and exhibitors. I also attended A Media Operator’s Summit (https://www.amediaoperator.com/amo-summit-2025/) and Bright Tower’s BrightFORWARD event (https://brighttower.com/). Everything I experienced convinces me that 2026 will be an exciting year on many fronts.

For SISO, this has helped frame the 2026 CEO Summit.

We are embracing and extending last year’s Innovation Imperative to this year’s Innovation in Action:

Reimagining Connection, Engagement, and Growth in the Events Industry

At the 2026 SISO CEO Summit, Innovation in Action will explore:

• Customer success - how face-to-face events are the leading trusted medium for our customers and how we are integral in helping them grow their business.

• Visionary organizers are using AI, data, and design thinking to elevate attendee and exhibitor value.

• Leading brands are activating their communities year-round through content, connection, and technology.

• Collaborative ecosystems — venues, suppliers, tech partners, and stakeholders — are redefining the event experience together.

Through keynotes, case studies, and engaging discussions, attendees will see innovation in motion — and leave with Actionable insights to turn creative ideas into scalable, repeatable success and be inspired to apply it immediately in their own events and organizations. Because in the B2B events world, the future doesn’t just belong to the most creative — it belongs to those who put innovation into action.

Expect to hear from the highest-rated speakers from previous years, as well as a significant number of first-time SISO speakers who are doing incredible things. I’ll resume weekly or near-weekly short staccato messaging, highlighting various industry issues and the CEO Summit, as well as some exciting new pieces at SISO to provide enhanced value to our members and sponsors.

The balance of 2025 still has many member events, and I hope to see you at the UFI - The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry Global Congress and at International Association of Exhibitions & Events - IAEE’s Expo Expo. At Expo Expo, Michelle Metter (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-metter-89b7a25/) and I are sorting out a SISO meetup; details to follow.

As always, if you have attendee-related questions, [email protected] is your best source. If you haven't yet sponsored the 2026 version, you can contact [email protected]. I’m always interested in feedback and suggestions on how best to serve, [email protected].

Bye for now,
Vinnie

10/09/2025

Thanks to everyone who joined yesterday’s webinar on Surround Sound Marketing — and a special thank you to Heather Holst-Knudsen, CEO of H2K Labs, for her insightful presentation, and to Liz Irving, CEO of Clarion Events, for sharing her time and expertise!

Surround Sound Marketing: Engage Buyers Consistently
🎯 Still relying on one-off events to reach customers?

Enter surround sound marketing — a year-round, data-driven strategy that delivers the right message to the right audience at the right time and channel.

✅ Engage buyers early, often, and consistently.
This approach turns sporadic interactions into a seamless, multi-touchpoint experience.

Ready to amplify your impact and boost satisfaction?

10/09/2025

Thanks to everyone who joined yesterday’s webinar on Surround Sound Marketing — and a special thank you to Heather Holst-Knudsen, CEO of H2K Labs, for her insightful presentation, and to Liz Irving, CEO of Clarion Events North America, for sharing her time and expertise!

Surround Sound Marketing: Engage Buyers Consistently
🎯 Still relying on one-off events to reach customers?

Enter surround sound marketing — a year-round, data-driven strategy that delivers the right message to the right audience at the right time and channel.

✅ Engage buyers early, often, and consistently.
This approach turns sporadic interactions into a seamless, multi-touchpoint experience.

Ready to amplify your impact and boost satisfaction?

09/09/2025

Mark your calendars and secure your spot early—space is limited!

Join us for an event designed for industry leaders to connect, share insights, and shape the future of events. Expect powerful networking, actionable strategies, and thought leadership you won’t find anywhere else.

📅 Save the Date: March 9 -12, 2026
📍 Location: The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina

07/08/2025

Update from SISO CEO Vinnie Polito which includes an apology

Hi—we are less than two weeks away and I must apologize for one thing. I think you all know I love white space at events and quite honestly, we don’t have enough of it in the program. I’d advise you to arrive early (change your flight) and/or stay up late to compensate.

We debated about looking to cut content and quite honestly the story arc of the conference would be impacted by losing any of the sessions. The good news is that you can earn 9.5 hours toward CEM recertification. You’ll see some of our highest-rated speakers back on stage (some even more than once), but equally importantly, you’ll be hearing from new speakers with a lot of interesting data and perspectives.

I keep returning to the Thursday content, which is remarkable. Michael Barnett InGo will make a compelling, data-driven case about the value of tradeshows, helping you drive revenue as early as August 22. That’s just one of several highlights.

M&A activity continues virtually unabated, but we’ll hear lessons from two very significant launches. Dana Teague and Michael Armstrong will share some fascinating insights around a launch (Dana) and a second-year event (Mike) that are quite instructive.

Absorbing an acquisition or being the absorbed acquisition is something many of us have experienced. Beth Cowperthwaite and Jo Dickson will share some of the good and the bad and provide some best practice ideas for you, regardless of the side of the acquisition that pertains to you.

Couple of my Wednesday highlights

Are you aware of the Annabelle Project? You will be. SISO Chair Miller FCIM and Warwick Davies have an interesting and inspiring session. You’ll want to sign up to be part of the Annabelle Project after the session for sure.

How about the session Why Inclusion is Good Business? Listen to leaders of the newly minted (renamed) Social Inclusion & Business Impact SIG giving you the business case that we all need. Don Pietranczyk, Melissa K Montes, and Raymond Rhodes are driving this successfully in their orgs, and you will learn how to do the same.

I’ll cover this in my next note, but Wednesday is also a big sales day regarding the acquisition of new revenue streams and using AI to drive revenue.

Safety and Security/Emergency Preparedness is also increasingly critical. Mike Carlucci has assembled a powerhouse panel to discuss.

I just checked the flights, and fares are still reasonable, and Indy is drivable from several cities (Chicago, Cincinnati, Louisville, to name three). This will be a great investment of your time, I promise. And if you need more white space while you are with us, I’ll stay up late to compensate.

Bye for now,
Vinnie

[email protected]

09/04/2025

SISO—Society of Independent Show Organizers Members—From Risk to Readiness: Building Event Security That Holds Under Pressure

Join us for an insightful webinar featuring top exhibition executives: Mike Carlucci, COO of Events Inc. - North America Events; Grant, SVP Operations at RX Global; Dan Donovan, Founder & Managing Partner of Statoscope/Ingressotek/Stratos K9; and Freddie Peterson, GM of Miami Convention Center. Don't miss the first SISO Security and Safety SIG webinar on Thursday, April 24, at 10:30 AM ET.

Registration is free, but please register in advance. Once registered, you'll receive a confirmation email with details on how to join the meeting.

Save your spot now here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/c5oma5q_SOOjfnG_aWTJHQ and invite your teams!

28/02/2025

Some Reminders from our CEO about the CEO Summit and other items

Just over four weeks away from the CEO Summit:

I talked to Walter Charnizon, and he has a lot of interesting plans for this year’s Small Business Roundtable. We have already had to move it to a larger room. I’ve seen a lot of small businesses register these last couple of weeks, and not all have signed up. Don’t miss this.

The program on SISO.org is essentially complete. What isn’t on there is all the white space opportunities that exist, both before and after the conference. I know of acquisitions that have happened as a result of conversations that took place during the golf/pickleball or the Wednesday night event.

I attended member H2K Labs RevvedUP program this week. Heather Holst-Knudsen had the perfect blend of old-school niceties coupled with an all-star cast of speakers and topics.

I expect we will reach last year’s registration total before the Big East Basketball Tournament starts. This is not the year to stay on the sidelines. If you qualify and need a registration code, contact [email protected].

From ECA’s Tommy Goodwin: Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance 2025 Legislative Action Day will take place in Washington, DC on Thursday, May 29. All SISO members are invited to join leaders and advocates from across the business and professional events industry to Capitol Hill to meet with their elected officials in support of two of ECA’s top policy priorities: tax reform and future workforce. Once again, this year’s Legislative Action Day will be held in conjunction with two other industry events taking place that week in Washington, DC: mdg, a Freeman Company’s Executive Roundtable on Tuesday, May 27, and Lippman Connects Exhibition & Convention Executive Forum on Wednesday, May 28.

To learn more and register for LAD free today, please visit https://lnkd.in/gf4b6EwB.

We still have room for about 4 more sponsors. Sheldon Adelson would not be happy about any revenue opportunity ever “selling out”, but we guard our attendee-to-sponsor ratios very closely. So still, some room but very limited. Act today, contact [email protected].

I need member buddies to assist new attendees maximizing the experience; if willing, let me know at [email protected].

I’ll be working with Sarin Bachmann (RX-NOR) to develop some fun options for Saturday arrivals. Let me know if you will arrive in time to take part. I might even play some golf. Depending on when you read this, I hope you can enjoy or enjoyed https://lnkd.in/gfuKnn7Y

Bye for now,

Vinnie

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

28/02/2025

"BREAKING NEWS: “Exhibitions Industry Collective Launches Workforce Development Initiative to Inspire the Next Generation of Event Professionals”

The Exhibitions Industry Collective—featuring Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance, Designers & Producers Association, Exhibition Services & Contractors Association, Association of Exhibitions & Events - IAEE, and Society of Independent Show Organizers - SISO, is launching a nationwide workforce development initiative to introduce students and young professionals to careers in exhibitions and events.

Professionals from the industry will visit schools and universities to provide insights into this sector so we can pave the way for future industry leaders.

The Collective has developed a PowerPoint deck for presenters, a comprehensive resource toolkit for the audience, social media engagement strategies to enhance outreach, and impact tracking to assess student interest and program success.

Read the full press release here: https://exhibitionsindustryawareness.com/news

11/12/2024

Collingwood https://collingwood.group/ collaborated with Society of Independent Show Organizers - SISO to produce the Events Sector Benchmarking Report!

There are more takeaways than we can list here, but as we turn our attention to 2025 and beyond, this report is a must-have and must-share for our members and prospective members.

Use this link below to download and please contact us or the folks at Collingwood https://collingwood.group/ to discuss.

https://collingwood.group/resources/events-sector-benchmarking-2024/?utm_source=SISO&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SISO_BM

27/11/2024

A Note from our CEO, Vincent Polito

Some quick thoughts to share

Just returned from both IBTM and UFI last week, and I was struck by the energy of the participants. I would characterize the mood as one of optimism for our industry, with a dose of uncertainty in the geo political landscape. I had conversations with colleagues from all parts of the world, and it was consistent.

My favorite session featured SISO/UFI members Greg Hitchen (Terrapinn), Russell Wilcox (Clarion) and SISO Sponsor John McGovern of Grimes McGovern & Associates. I liked that the panelists were able to share differing perspectives on subjects. Certainly not a homogenized session! Entertaining and valuable.
..View the full article here

11/11/2024

Join Scott Stevens and Yancy Smith Weinrich on Friday, November 15, at 1:00 PM ET for the SISO Sales SIG webinar - Empowering Event Sales Teams with Digital Tools: Boosting Efficiency, Engagement and Sales

As the event industry rapidly evolves, adopting digital tools has become essential for sales teams striving to meet their goals. This session focuses on the unique needs of event organizers, offering insights into the latest technologies that drive efficiency, improve client communication, and streamline sales processes. Discover how CRM solutions, data analytics, automation, and personalized engagement tools are transforming sales within the event space. From capturing leads to securing bookings and nurturing client relationships, this session is designed to equip event sales professionals with the knowledge they need to maximize productivity and success.

Click here to register: https://lnkd.in/gWPryFZC.

15/10/2024

Many thought leaders in one place! 🎤✨

Catch all the insightful interviews produced by CNTV at the SISO-TV Studio during the SISO Leadership Conference and proudly sponsored by Map Your Show.

Topics include:

· impact of AI on our industry
· Latest trends on the show floor
· Utilizing video for your next event
· Updates in M&A

Watch all the videos here:
https://www.siso.org/leadership/siso-tv

Thank you, CNTV and Map Your Show, for the fantastic interviews!