Editorial Note: Originally published in the July 2025 issue of Trade Show Executive magazine.
As I reflect on the state of our industry midway through 2025, I am struck by a powerful realization: what we do matters more than ever in today’s increasingly fragmented global landscape. Trade shows are essential platforms where global understanding, economic resilience and collaborative innovation converge. We are literally architects of connection whose overarching goals transcend international borders.
As such, the value proposition of our industry has fundamentally transformed. While transactions remain important, our shows serve as living laboratories where ideas find fertile ground and relationships flourish. When I walk the floor of a well-designed trade show, I don’t just see booths and displays – I see solutions to global challenges taking shape through spontaneous collaboration.
This evolution requires us to rethink how we define and measure success. Traditional metrics like attendance and square footage sold still matter, but they no longer tell the whole story. Increasingly, the value lies in the partnerships cultivated, the knowledge exchanged and the innovations ignited. These outcomes are becoming just as important to our stakeholders. That’s why CEIR’s new benchmarking study is so timely – it offers a more comprehensive view of event impact aligned with today’s shifting priorities.
We also hold a responsibility to advancing progress in mutually shared challenges. For example, sustainability is increasingly a business-critical requirement for trade shows. Our industry must demonstrate leadership in this space, showing how large-scale B2B gatherings can minimize environmental impact while maximizing human connection.
Many of us have already implemented comprehensive carbon measurement frameworks and invested in greener technologies. But we need to push further, reimagining our event models to prioritize ecological responsibility without compromising the immersive, in-person experiences that make our shows effective. This balance is challenging, but essential, for our long-term relevance.
Another shared responsibility is that of advocating on behalf of our industry. Our role as executive leaders requires that we advocate effectively with policymakers on issues from international travel restrictions to workforce development strategies. By speaking with a unified voice, we strengthen not just our industry but the broader commercial ecosystem we serve.
We have an advantage in that trade shows offer neutral ground where diverse perspectives can find common purpose. I’ve witnessed competitors become collaborators when faced with industry-wide challenges. I’ve also seen cultural barriers dissolve through the universal language of commerce and innovation.
The digital acceleration we are experiencing has also enhanced the value of the face-to-face marketplace. However, the technology must serve the human connection and not the other way around. Our most successful models recognize that digital tools cannot replace the spontaneous interactions, sensory experiences and relationship-building that happen when people gather in the physical space.
By their very nature, the business events we create serve as critical infrastructure for economic and intellectual exchange. Each show offers an opportunity to address complex challenges by bringing together the minds and resources capable of creating solutions. In embracing this expanded vision of our purpose, we secure not just the relevance of our industry but its essential role in building a more connected and collaborative global economy. The true measure of our success will be how effectively we create spaces where human potential can be fully expressed and where the complex challenges of our time find collaborative solutions.
The future of trade shows isn’t just about bigger or more technologically advanced events – it’s about facilitating more meaningful and impactful human connections. That’s a future worth building together!
With that in mind, this month I challenge executive leaders to find the commonalities by which we can strengthen our industry on a global scale. Let’s seek out innovative ways to collaborate, connect and create opportunities that will serve our industry for generations to come regardless of where they are conducting business.
Chuck Grouzard
2025 IAEE Chairperson
Executive Vice President of Business Development, Creative and Design
GES
