Embrace the Digital In-person Events

Fu Bingbing

SISO， the Society of Independent Show Organizers， is the voice of the for-profit show organizer. It serves as a place for CEOs， presidents and owners of for-profit events to collaborate， network， problemsolve and learn from each others experiences. This function has been particularly needed over the past twoplus years， as the pandemic shut down live events and forced the entire industry to seek alternative solutions to meet the needs of their exhibitors and attendees. SISO is known most around the world for the“SISO CEO Summit，” which is the largest gathering of leaders in the industry every year. This event is used by many participants to find new partners， new acquisitions or acquirers and is given credit by many as being their best tool for business growth.

In the following interview on this edition， Cassandra Farrington， the chair of SISO is invited to share her thoughts about the re-growth of the trade show industry as it emerges from the pandemic， the future development trends she foresees， the role China plays in the global exhibitions industry， the advancement of digital event technology and how the industry can successfully navigate any future challenges.

Integration of the Digital and Physical

Cassandra Farrington tells the reporter that as the 2022-2023 chair of SISO， the Society of Independent Show Organizers， she is keenly focused on ensuring the exhibition industry doesnt just survive， but also thrives in the post-pandemic future. SISO was a key player in the community-building and the advocacy work that proved to be instrumental in pulling the industry through the pandemic， and as a vital member of SISOs Executive Committee， Cassandra Farrington understands the need for these beneficial initiatives to continue well past the industrys recovery. Besides navigating the receding pandemic， she also plans to help the industry tackle the new shared challenges created by instability in the geopolitical environment. A seasoned entrepreneur and industry executive， Cassandra Farrington remains a staunch believer that strong， value-providing content is key to building the community that makes a trade show successful.

The pandemic experience also showed that exhibitors truly value live， in-person events as part of their marketing mix， and attendees truly value the in-person experience of seeing， touching and experiencing the product or service as part of their decision-making process. However， the pandemic also made it clear that other solutions， including online connections， continue to rise in their importance and viability. The future of the live event industry will depend on further incorporating digital touches， online connections and data management to ensure the ongoing value of the live experience.

In most cases， exhibitions are returning to their 2019 levels and in some cases， have surpassed these levels. Ongoing COVID controls in certain regions will continue to require careful contingency planning for the foreseeable future. Recovery from the pandemic– including specifically travel-related disruptions– continues to challenge event organizers who unfortunately cannot impact such factors. Nonetheless， the return of in-person exhibitions has been warmly welcomed by all stakeholders. Organizers， exhibitors and attendees are all focused on the benefits and on overcoming these obstacles.

On the future trends side， Cassandra Farrington anticipate that they will continue to see an integration of digital activations into in-person exhibitions. As the demographics of exhibition delegates shift to younger generations， these digital touches will be widely expected and sought after by audiences.

Regrowth Indispensable from All Levels

Cassandra Farrington comments that unfortunately， there has been minimal support by the U.S. government specifically for live events and exhibitions while referred to the policy from local authorities. Certain organizations were able to take advantage of broadlyaimed support programs such as the Payroll Protection Program， however， many stakeholders in the exhibition industry were not eligible for this support. In part because governmental support was not available， SISO joined together with several other exhibition-related associations to form the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance （ECA）， a lobbying group dedicated specifically to this industry. The ECA has become a permanent organization that will continue to lobby on behalf of the exhibitions industry.

“I have not had much opportunity to work in the China market yet， but it is clearly a significant market for the exhibitions industry！ The United States is still the worlds largest market for exhibitions， which reflects its status as the largest economy and the most open market. Prior to the COVID pandemic， the exhibition industry in China experienced substantial growth that was also reflective of its economic growth. We hope and expect that once the border and city closures brought on by the pandemic have been removed， China will again see the exhibition industry grow in line with its economic growth.” says Cassandra Farrington.

“The Asia-Pacific economies and markets are crucially important for the global exhibitions industry， with China being the largest single market in the region. With that in mind， we are launching the Asia CEO Summit in Singapore this fall. Set for Oct. 5-7， the inaugural， invite-only event for leading business event leaders is organized jointly by SISO， AEO – Association of Event Organisers， SACEOS and UFI， and is designed to set the stage for the revival and reimagination of the exhibitions industry in the Asia-Pacific region.”

“In the meantime， many exhibition organizers around the world count on Chinese exhibitors as a significant and important part of their shows due to the importance placed on Chinese products and manufacturing capabilities. Also， many international organizers have very successfully launched and partnered with Chinese organizations to bring significant exhibitions to the Chinese markets. These events have been and are likely to continue to be extremely important to the markets they serve.” adds Cassandra Farrington.

The Future is Bright for the Industry

As far as Cassandra Farrington is concerned that digital events” or “online exhibitions” did not fulfill their promise. These digital events were not effective at the core benefit that has driven the traditional exhibitions industry： connecting sellers and buyers to do business. However， there were some innovations and evolutions that were necessary during the COVID era that remain in demand： better insight into the data points of the attendees， more curated connections， digital badges and event materials and more， which will find their way back into live exhibitions going forward.

The people who work in the exhibitions industry are very experienced in managing with last-minute changes and unexpected emergencies. This industry as a whole is well-equipped to continue to thrive as we exit the COVID era， to continue to innovate and ensure that exhibitions continue to succeed in their role of educating， connecting and inspiring their communities. It is wonderful to see in-person events returning to， and in some cases， exceeding pre-pandemic levels. It is a testament to the value our industry brings to its communities， and to the very hard work that industry leaders – including SISO – have put into supporting the events community during this difficult time.

“I do see every opportunity for the momentum to continue， and we should be able to successfully manage the ongoing headwinds that are emerging postpandemic. These include staffing challenges， concerns， travel disruptions that discourage participation in our events and more. Further， my sense is that real work and innovation remain to be done to integrate digital more fully into our in-person experiences. The demographics of our audience are changing， and we must keep in touch with the experience a younger and more diverse audience wants from a live event.” underlines Cassandra Farrington.

“I am confident the future is bright for our industry. As we emerge from the pandemic， I see a lot of innovation and retooling， and a refocus on the issues we have long felt strongly about – sustainability， diversity and technology integration among them. I look forward to seeing what we can continue to create together！”