Specialized guidance for healthcare sector and small-to-midsize exhibition organizers in navigating economic headwinds and industry recovery

The International Association of Exhibitions and Events® (IAEE) successfully concluded two specialized events on 25 June 2025 in Baltimore, Md. that delivered critical insights and practical strategies to exhibitions and events professionals operating in distinct market segments. IAEE’s Half-Day Healthcare Forum and Organizer Insights Summit, both powered by Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) data, addressed the unique challenges and opportunities facing healthcare exhibition managers and small-to-midsize show organizers in today’s evolving marketplace.

“These specialized forums underscore our commitment to delivering focused, research-driven insights that address the distinct economic and operational challenges within our industry,” said IAEE President and CEO Marsha Flanagan, M.Ed., CEM. “Whether our members are navigating complex healthcare compliance or working to enhance the impact of smaller-scale events, they deserve strategies that are precisely aligned with their unique market conditions.”

Half-Day Healthcare Forum Addresses Sector-Specific Challenges

The IAEE Half-Day Healthcare Forum brought together meeting professionals and exhibit managers to tackle the dynamic healthcare exhibition landscape. CEIR Vice President of Research Nancy Drapeau, IPC opened the program with “Unlocking Success: Insights and Strategies from CEIR’s Benchmarking Study to Elevate Your Healthcare Event,” revealing that while the overall exhibition industry remains 7.4% below 2019 levels, the medical and healthcare sector faces particular headwinds, trailing 14.6% behind pre-pandemic performance.

“The healthcare exhibition sector is experiencing unique pressures from macroeconomic factors, particularly trade tariffs and inflation,” explained Drapeau. “However, the CEIR Index indicates the healthcare sector will sustain a steady pace of recovery in spite of these challenges. To help healthcare events maximize positive outcomes in today’s challenging business environment, adopting best practices in goal setting and use of metrics, ideally monitoring progress in real time to assure exhibit sales and attendee acquisition results are on pace to hit goals is critical. CEIR’s new benchmarking playbook report offers insights to help organizers succeed.”

Melissa Vallone, Partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, delivered a comprehensive session on “Insights Into Medical Meeting Management: Challenges, Risks and Solutions,” addressing three critical areas: data privacy compliance, legally compliant content sourcing and transparency requirements under the Physician Payment Sunshine Act (Open Payments). Vallone emphasized rapidly evolving privacy laws and the serious implications of copyright infringement, noting that statutory damages can reach up to $150,000 per infringed work.

The forum concluded with a panel discussion, “Navigating the Future of Healthcare Exhibitions: Insights from Industry Players,” moderated by Flanagan and featuring La Shon Smith, CEM, Director of Exhibitions at the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Aubrey Wanner, CEO of the National Society of Histotechnology.

IAEE extends a special thank you to the title sponsor of the Half-Day Healthcare Forum, New Orleans & Company.

Organizer Insights Summit Empowers Small-to-Midsize Exhibition Professionals

The IAEE Organizer Insights Summit specifically targeted professionals managing exhibitions under 199,000 net square feet, delivering tailored strategies for success in the current economic environment. CEIR research presented by Drapeau revealed that while larger events show the strongest recovery results, smaller shows face a more gradual rebound timeline, with economic conditions prompting forecast adjustments showing smaller shows recovering more slowly than their larger counterparts.

Key insights shared during the summit included:

• Market Recovery Patterns: By event size, the largest events demonstrate the strongest performance, with exhibitors and net square feet leading recovery across all event sizes.
• Economic Impact: 29% of global travel buyers expect declining business travel volume in 2025, which suggests challenges for international attendance particularly affected by trade policy uncertainties.
• Strategic Adaptation: The importance of agility in monitoring trends, revising goals, and managing expectations while capitalizing on domestic opportunities.

Both events emphasized the critical importance of benchmarking strategies, real-time performance monitoring, and data-driven decision making. Summit attendees gained access to CEIR’s Performance Benchmark Playbook series and Event Performance Analyzer tool to help optimize their exhibition strategies. Click here to access the first three reports from the Performance Benchmark Playbook series, available for free to IAEE members and $249 USD each for non-members.

IAEE extends a special thank you to its Organizer Insights Summit partners Discover Puerto Rico and Fern, an Nth Degree Company.

Industry Outlook and Strategic Recommendations

Both forums highlighted the need for continued adaptation in a challenging economic environment. Key recommendations included:

• Embrace Agility: Monitor trends continuously and pivot strategies when market conditions change.
• Leverage Domestic Opportunities: Explore onshoring trends and resilient supply chain developments to attract new exhibitors and partnerships.
• Support Non-Attending Participants: Consider hybrid formats and digital engagement options to maintain community connections.
• Elevate Benchmarking: Implement robust performance tracking systems to drive success and inform strategic planning.

About IAEE
Trusted since 1928, IAEE provides quality and value to its members through leadership, service, education and strong relationships. IAEE is the largest association of the exhibitions and events industry in the world, with a membership of show organizers, exhibitors and exhibition suppliers. Organizers of more than 20,000 exhibitions and buyer-seller events around the world are members of IAEE, and the organization advocates and promotes the awareness of face-to-face exhibitions and events as the primary medium for business development and growth. IAEE provides relevant, timely and innovative education to its members and the industry. IAEE recognizes its strategic partners: 4imprint, Convention News Television (CNTV), eShow, Freeman, GES | onPeak, Grit Productions and Expositions, IMEX, New Orleans & Company, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Risk Strategies Company | Buttine Insurance, Snöball and Swapcard. Visit www.iaee.com for more information.

About CEIR
The official research division of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events® (IAEE), the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) serves to advance the growth, awareness and value of exhibitions and other face-to-face marketing events by producing and delivering knowledge-based research tools that enable stakeholder organizations to enhance their ability to meet current and emerging customer needs, improve their business performance and strengthen their competitive position. For additional information, visit https://ceir.iaee.com/.

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Media Inquiries:
Mary Tucker
Sr. Communications & Content Manager | IAEE
+1 (972) 687-9226
mtucker@iaee.com