In just more than a month, top-level executives from trade show organizing companies worldwide will converge at the Society of Independent Show Organizer’s CEO Summit to hear about the latest trends in the market, whether it be why so many overseas companies are buying up U.S.-based shows or how every event should be considering its content marketing program.

“Ranked as one of the best networking events of the year in the trade and consumer show industry, the SISO CEO Summit gathers together CEOs and executives from more than 100 small and large global show organizing companies for not only high-level education, but also important business interactions,” said Tony Calanca, SISO CEO Summit program chair and executive vice president of Exhibitions, UBM Advanstar.

He added, “We are proud of this reputation and expect this year’s event will be just as rewarding for all participants.”

David Audrain, SISO’s executive director, added, “I’m very excited about this year’s SISO CEO Summit, our program committee has developed an outstanding lineup of topics and presenters, and, as usual, we will have the very best gathering of our industry’s leaders from around the world."

The event, scheduled April 3-6 at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego, begins with a board meeting, followed by a special program during the day – Small Business Roundtable – before officially kicking off with an opening reception and dinner that evening.

The next morning begins with what has been a longstanding tradition at the event, all of the attendees stand up and one-by-one personally introduce themselves before the education program will open with Roger Dow, president of the U.S. Travel Association, discussing "How Travel Impacts the Exhibition Industry Today.”

The first day of sessions continues with Scott Diament, president and CEO of the Palm Beach Show Group, talking about how his company evolved from a “rough idea to polished execution of nationwide ultra- luxury events.”

Jochen Witt, CEO - jwc GmbH, will lead a presentation, "Pricing strategies in the trade fair industry - How good pricing can increase customer satisfaction and organizers’ revenues and profits,” that will take a look at how ‘intelligent pricing’ can help invigorate how teams look at their event, starting with layout planning, and all the way to upselling of added services and profitable premium offerings.

After lunch, at which Calanca will present the SISO annual report and the Robert L. Krakoff award honoree will be named, the afternoon sessions with begin with Brian Casey, president and CEO of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, presenting the latest CEIR Index numbers.

Up next will be a panel of international trade show company leaders talking about "Why are all these International Companies Suddenly Buying Up the USA Market?!" With companies such as Informa Exhibitions, Clarion Events, Tarsus Group and several of the German messes either buying or launching in the U.S., it continues to be a stable market that companies worldwide are focusing on.

The first day of sessions will end with Joe Pulizzi, who runs the Content Marketing Institute and Content Marketing World events, discussing “Epic Content Marketing” and why every event should be utilizing it to grow attendance and drive engagement.

After a night of networking at a reception, dinner and afterglow party, it’s back to business the next morning and more sessions, beginning with the “Current State of the M&A Market”, during which private equity panelists will talk about multiples, risk reward and how they look at the industry today.

Another session that morning, aptly titled “What Went Wrong?”, will involve a panel of executives from major companies candidly discussing launches and acquisitions that didn’t quite go as planned.

The afternoon will consist of attendees taking part in a round of golf, bocce and croquet, sailing or tennis, before the event closes that evening with an awards reception and dinner.

To register for the SISO CEO Summit please visit HERE. Early-bird registration ends March 1.