Editorial Note: Originally published in the October 2026 issue of Trade Show Executive magazine.

It’s a question we all ask ourselves when deciding whether to attend an event, and Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition is no different: With budgets tight and calendars overbooked, is Expo! Expo! really worth three days out of the office?

I understand the hesitation. It’s the reality of where we’re at right now. My answer – and I don’t say this lightly – is a resounding yes. Let me explain why.

Expo! Expo! takes place on 16-18 November this year in Milwaukee, bringing together the largest gathering of B2B exhibition organizers in one place. And that matters. An incredible amount of learning, networking and idea-sharing happens both on and off the show floor across those three days.

Let’s start with the learning experience, which is built around the priorities and opportunities already shaping our agendas.

This year’s program features six content tracks with clear practica focus. If upskilling AI and emerging technology are priorities for your organization, as they are for most, one dedicated track wil help move the discussion beyond ideas and into real-world applications you can put to work immediately.

If you’re rethinking the attendee journey at your events, the Experience Design track offers practical frameworks for reducing friction and demonstrating ROI to sponsors. If increasing registrations is a priority, the Marketing and Engagement track focuses on driving conversion – not just building awareness.

And if risk, contracts and workforce issues are demanding more of your attention this year, the Operations and Show Management track delivers decision-making frameworks you can bring back to your teams and put to use.

There is also a dedicated Sponsorship and Sales track, especially relevant when revenue growth is part of nearly every organizer’s mandate. The emphasis is on practical ways to uncover opportunities you may not be tapping today, build packages around what sponsors actually value and think about pricing through the lens of measurable ROI.

Sustainability is treated as a working discipline as well. The Sustainability Sanctuary is an interactive, multi-zone pavilion featuring real-world case studies and actionable approaches to reducing waste, showcasing progress to stakeholders, and sparking ideas attendees can apply to their own events.

Beyond the learning sessions, Expo! Expo!’s show floor does double duty, putting education right alongside companies and solutions shaping our industry. You can parcipate in a hands-on workshop and then walk across the floor to see some of the ideas and tools in action. The general session is worth making time for as well, with a focus on giving you something you can take back and apply.

Then there’s the networking, which for me, has always been one of the greatest values of Expo! Expo!. Focused conversations give you the opportunity to talk openly with peers who are as interested in successfully navigating our industry’s future as you are. Add in the receptions, meals and conversations between sessions, and you’re never far from meeting someone worth knowing. Some of my most valuable relationships in this industry started with a conversation at Expo! Expo! that almost didn’t happen.

This month, my ask is simple: block the calendar now, before something else claims it. Come to Expo! Expo! with your hardest problems – whether they involve cost, technology, growing your exhibitor base or all of the above – and use those three days to learn from the largest concentration of people facing many of those same challenges.

Sometimes the best solutions come from getting out of our own organizations, comparing notes with one another and seeing a challenge through someone else’s perspective. That’s what makes these three days worth the time.

I look forward to seeing you at Expo! Expo! in Milwaukee next month.

Brian Pagel
2026 IAEE Chairperson
Chief Revenue Officer
Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)/Performance Racing Industry (PRI)

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