SISO CEO Summit 2025: Apprehension, M&A and Newbies

The desire to attend events has outlasted the post-pandemic fervor to get out of the house and meet people face to face. But now, with the global economy poised for upheaval in light of U.S. tariffs and stricter immigration processes, organizers of shows from the most intimate one-on-ones to the biggest trade shows are apprehensive about the future.

That’s my biggest takeaway from attending my first Society of Independent Show Organizers last week in Austin as AMO pushes deeper into events industry coverage. There’s still plenty of optimism among events executives that people want to keep meeting in person, but the scenario might be less exuberant than previously hoped. My other takeaway is that it’s a tightknit and welcoming community, and while the environment is less than favorable for dealmaking, the appetite is definitely not gone.

Here are a few thoughts and observations from my week in Austin, with many thanks to SISO CEO Vincent Polito and chair Paul Miller for their graciousness in hosting me.

• Survey says the people are getting anxious. Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes, president at mdg, a marketing firm, and Ken Holsinger, senior vice president of strategy at Freeman, an event services company, presented the results of a survey conducted in collaboration with The Harris Poll, a market research firm. Those polled included several thousand participants across different industries regarding potential impacts of tariffs and trade policies over the next 12 months.
  • 27% rated tariffs and trade policy as having the highest potential impact
  • 54% of international attendees and exhibitors surveyed said they are uncertain about their event participation for the same reason
  • 34% of international participants believe their event-related business travel to the U.S. will decrease
  • 81% of Canadian respondents said they would be impacted

• So where does that leave an industry known for its M&A? It depends on who you ask. Some believe there’s a pause coming, notwithstanding deals already in the works. Uncertainty, tariffs and no easing of interest rates leave some believing the appetite to buy and sell event assets will be diminished in 2025, despite early signs that deals were making a comeback. Nonetheless, at least one CEO shook off the unease and said with so much recent private equity money funneled into events companies, there’s no place to go but forward. We’ll keep an eye out at AMO, and if you have something you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
• Something like 20% of attendees were first-timers like myself, apparently a pretty significant number for the event. That included young and ambitious, if somewhat less experienced, show organizers. Some of the noteworthy companies included the Stimulate show, an annual sexual wellness event held in Nashville and put on by Nicole Hoffman; Whiskey Riot, which holds several tastings a year, currently focused on B2C and led by Bobby Finan and Lexi Osher; and Arkaea Media Group, a B2B media company covering the defense, space and nuclear industry, co-founded by Ari Lewis who wondered why there isn’t more media and editorial to be found in events companies.

While there’s a lot of anxiety over the goings-on out of Washington, there’s also a lot of conviction that face-to-face meetings have been shown to be valuable enough that people will likely keep making the effort to traverse lands by plane, train or automobile to gather.

Still, optimism and innovation—the theme of the conference—abounded. Organizers are experimenting with more interactive content that is personalized and experiences that are curated versus a static booth and monotony, while avoiding having attendees feel drained and disconnected (festivals and puppy parks!). Some organizers are avoiding M&A by turning to partnerships for new business models, and that appears to be working out nicely.

And of course, there was plenty of talk on data and AI. But for that, you’ll have to wait and see what stories I’ve got prepared for you.

Thanks, again, to Paul and Vinnie, and my first-timer buddy Maddy Ryley of Trade Show Executive, which covers the industry, for introducing me to so many folks.