The Trade Show Podcast

By The Trade Show Podcast

The home for conversations with the leaders of the $50 billion Trade show industry. We speak to them about the past present and future of the Trade Show and event industry. We hope to bring you ins... more

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FAQs about The Trade Show Podcast:

How many episodes does The Trade Show Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 17 episodes available.

The Trade Show Podcast episodes:

August 15, 2025In Conversation with Tahira Endean, Head of Program, IMEX
Tahira Endean is the Author of Intentional Event Design, “Our Professional Opportunity”, and Our KPI is Joy, Using Live Events to Catalyse, Happiness, Productivity and Trust. She is also the Co-founder of Strategy Table – helping companies Transform Team Dynamics Through Expert Meeting Facilitation.
Tahira is a curious event designer and education curator for the MICE industry. She is passionate about global travel, intentional event design and the integration of technology into our lives and events to enhance the human experience. Tahira wore her “Association Hat” as Head of Events for SITE from 2019 through the pandemic and until we returned to events fully in 2023. Change is inevitable, and in 2023, Tahira put her passion for lifelong learning into practice by earning an MSc in Creativity and Change Leadership. Tahira continues to educate the next generation, teaching Event Strategy and Design at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
Deeply committed to the industry, Tahira has been recognised for a range of contributions, including 2022 Influencers with Northstar Meetings, SmartMeetings – Women in Meetings Visionary (2021), MeetingsToday Top 20 Trendsetter (2018), a MeetingsNet Changemaker (2016), the MPI BC Chapter Mentor of the Year (2018), amongst others. In 2015, Tahira was inducted into the Meetings Canada Hall of Fame in the Big Idea category.
Tahira Endean
Driven by a fascination with what we are learning about neuroscience and the power of the five senses to enhance memory, knowledge retention, and improve connections, she is continually seeking appropriate ways to design the most relevant incentives. meeting and event environments.
Tahira also loves travel, cooking, time with her family, and anything with bubbles!
Tahira speaks to Subhanjan about why humans connect, and the experience of attendees and participants at events should be the paramount criterion on which to base the design of events. Ultimately, people want to connect and experience empathy and joy at such gatherings.
Events are costly, and when organisers plan them, they typically look at factors such as display effectiveness, website functionality, technological efficiency and a host of other such criteria. But they ought to spend at least a tiny amount of their resources on thinking about the human experience.
The customer journey starts with the anticipation phase, when they start packing for the journey to the event. Great events should make the arrival, the registration, and the welcome- all of these memorable experiences for the attendee. After all, out of three or four-day events, most people tend to remember only six minutes of the entire engagement after a while.
Run time – 01:03:07
Links for Subhanjan
[email protected]
https://www.linkedin.com/in/subhanjansarkar
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50min
August 02, 2025In Conversation with Richard Erschik, Founder, ExhibitorTrainingWebinar.com
Richard Erschik is a trade show industry veteran with over 50 years of experience, evolving from being a company’s exhibit manager to one of the most respected voices in post-show sales lead management and exhibitor training. Over 3 decades ago, Richard identified the industry’s widespread failure of post-show sales lead follow-up which persists till date. Richard founded a very successful marketing services company that processed over 1 million sales leads, helping 147 companies turn their trade show leads into real sales.
Richard led the company to generate over $10 million in revenue and was named “One of the Most Innovative Companies in the Country” and a “Best Practice in Trade Show Marketing” by American Airlines. Rich later sold his business and dedicated the next chapter of his career to training exhibitors, delivering more than 350 in-person seminars and online workshops to over 50,000 professionals. He has been a featured speaker at the EXHIBITOR Show in Las Vegas for 18 years and was named in Trade Show Executive Magazine’s “Who’s Who in Exhibitor Education.”
Known for his no-nonsense approach, sense of humor, and unforgettable real-world stories, Rich’s mission has always been simple: help companies stop wasting money at trade shows—and start converting their leads into measurable sales results for a positive ROI.
He is also the author of two books that tell his captivating industry story: “Trade Shows Don’t Cost… They PAY!” and “From Problem to Profession.”
Richard Erschik
In this episode, Richard Erschik talks about the problems in the Exhibition Industry, delving into some core issues, such as the roles of Marketing versus that of Sales, and why Marketing should not just hand over leads to Sales just after an event is done.
He discusses the lack of experience and training in the Exhibition industry, especially post-COVID, when a lot of experienced people had to be fired simply because there were no exhibitions at that time. After the pandemic has passed, however, the problem of not having experienced people is still affecting the industry.
Richard believes that Trade Shows clearly are the best way to get the right prospects in front of the seller, face-to-face, but not all leads are good, and not all leads will buy immediately. It is the job of the marketing department to qualify hot leads and nurture the others based on their progress along the buying journey. These and many other insights.
Run time – 00:49:06
Links for Subhanjan
[email protected]
https://www.linkedin.com/in/subhanjansarkar
Link for Richard Erschik
www.ExhibitorTrainingWebinar.com
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50min
July 15, 2025In Conversation with Sooraj Dhawan, President, Indian Exhibition Industry Association
A PGDM from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Mr. Sooraj Dhawan is attributed with inception and sustainable success of several landmark Trade Shows in India, including International Engineering Sourcing Show (since 2012), InfoComm India (since 2012), IPHEX India (since 2013), Cap India (since 2016), Source India (since 2016), Logix India (since 2019) PlexConnect (since 2023).
Mr. Dhawan is the Director of Falcon Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd. A visionary business strategist, Mr. Dhawan specialises in International Trade development & Investments and feels that trade shows are the best way forward to business expansion. He is also a big advocate of ‘Make in India – Export from India and is an acknowledged specialist in organising International Buyer-Seller meets in India in areas, including Engineering, Power & Electricals, Automobile components, Rubber, Plastics & Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Textiles and Information Technology.
Currently, Mr. Dhawan is the President of Indian Exhibition Industry Association. The Indian Exhibition Industry Association (IEIA) is the national apex body representing the Exhibitions industry in India, comprising 400+ leading Exhibitions industry players, sectoral associations and trade bodies. He is representing IEIA in the prestigious India M.I.C.E. Board formed by the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India.
Mr. Dhawan is National convenor for MICE Sector Panel of Bureau of Indian standards. He also represents India in the ISO Standards body and in the UFI ISO Working Group. Mr. Dhawan is currently Director to the Board of Governors at IIM Calcutta Incubation Park and is focused on mentoring startups all over India. Mr. Dhawan is also a trained business mediator and empanelled with the Ministry of Company Affairs in New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata for offering business mediation and conciliation services.
Sooraj Dhawan
In this episode, Sooraj Dhawan talks about the current state of the Exhibition Industry in India, as well as future plans and required actions to take it further.
He points out that modern infrastructure for MICE is growing rapidly in the country, not just in Metros but also Tier II and Tier III towns, making India a very attractive destination for global exhibitions. What needs to be added to the mix is much greater international flight connectivity to emerging destinations in the country.
Alongside, in terms of technology, there is great skill and adoption in the country, providing a robust base for leveraging the India Stack. In the area of manpower, there needs to be greater skilling, which associations and universities are already developing and delivering.
Run time – 00:50:04
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50min
July 01, 2025In Conversation with John Blaskey, Owner, The Exhibiting Agency Ltd
John Blaskey has generated hundreds of millions of pounds of new prospective business for his clients through face-to-face marketing. Global multinationals, national trade organisations, not-for-profits and countless SMEs have benefited from John’s insights.
John’s key theme is persuading his audiences to stop hiding behind their screens and engage with prospects. Engaging with our fellow human beings has proved to deliver far more long-term business relationships than via online methods. John’s content addresses how to identify real prospects, how to evaluate them, how to listen actively to their needs, how to align their messaging consistently and how to take advantage of our universal connectiveness.
From manufacturing display panels for exhibitors 40 years ago to disrupting conventional exhibiting norms, John is certainly an unconventional figure. His calling today is to inspire and persuade any ambitious organisation to create sustainable live marketing strategies, to differentiate themselves, and measure every aspect of their performance.
John Blaskey
In this episode, John Blaskey discusses his key findings throughout his 50 years of experience in the Trade Shows industry, and his unique propositions that can enable organisations to get better results from exhibitions and trade shows. He believes that essentially, events where people gather have risen from primal roots such as the bazaar and the agora.
Even today, people gather at events to fulfil their desires of socialising and entertainment, of spectacle and camaraderie. It is in this context that John proposes that booths must therefore host performances, and these performances must draw in the right audiences. At the same time, he advocates qualifying visitors before letting them into booths, which must be treated as private enclosures.
He also believes that events are a part of a continuum that must be designed to take qualified leads onto the next stage, or next event, which should be a private one-on-one interaction. Exhibitions are marketing engagements and are not meant to garner sales.
Run time – 00:48:54
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50min
June 16, 2025In Conversation with Sridhar Ranganathan, Co-Founder & CEO, B2Brain
Sridhar Ranganathan believes that B2B businesses thrive on human connection. His startup B2Brain enables exhibitors at Events and trade shows to generate a high-quality pipeline and better ROI by providing them a way to capture, analyse and engage leads.
Having done stints in product leadership at InMobi, Yahoo and Zoho, Sridhar strives to understand user behaviour and incentives at a fundamental level and to architect the product experience based on these insights.
B2Brain is used by companies in vertical markets, such as Zetwerk and Appify, to amplify their GTM efforts and derive more value from events and trade shows.
Sridhar Ranganathan
In this Episode, Sridhar discusses the current state of the Events Industry in the context of why businesses of various sizes involve themselves in exhibitions and events. Branding, pipeline building and connecting are primary motives.
In each instance, the measure of success is different, and except for direct pipeline building and lead generation, measuring ROI is often difficult. However, the most important factor is that events must be looked at as a process rather than a one-off.
Preparation for the event, with meticulous detailing, as well as follow-up after the show, are crucial for the success of this process. What often happens, though, is that the energy of face-to-face connections at the event drops drastically after the show as people get back to their daily routines. Hence, the grind of following up meticulously falls through the cracks, and the results are thus less than desirable.
Run time – 01:07:47
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50min
June 03, 2025In Conversation with Enrico Gallorini, Co-Founder & CEO, GRS Research and Strategy
Fascinated by the “how” and, most importantly, the “why” behind unforgettable live events that have the power to change lives, Enrico Gallorini has dedicated his life to decoding the profound impact that in-person experiences at large human gatherings have on individuals, society, and the world at large.
His most significant finding is the unique ability that only live events have to inspire and drive human evolution. Through his research, he has uncovered remarkable and enduring patterns dating back to the very origins of humanity; insights that remain relevant today and will become even more vital in the future.
Described as a forward thinker with a rare intellect and a distinguished expert in the events industry, Enrico is a Strategic Researcher specialising in Visitor Experiences and the Author of the book: “In-Person: A Journey Through the Unstoppable Evolution of Events”. He has captivated audiences across 20 countries, delivering keynote speeches at prestigious universities and international conferences, where he explores the transformative power of in-person events.
As the Co-Founder and CEO of GRS Research and Strategy (www.grsnet.it), a cutting-edge boutique multinational research firm headquartered in Venice, Italy, Enrico brings a unique blend of business intelligence, creativity, positivity and passion to the Human-to-Human industry.
Enrico Gallorini
Enrico Gallorini considers events and meets a part of human cultural and social evolution, with their primal roots dating back to as early as the dawn of human civilisation, when gathering around a fire to tell stories was a part of teaching survival.
Events have a built-in ritualistic component, driven by the knowledge that they occur in temporal patterns, and participants are aware of a calendar when they shall all meet for a certain event at a certain location.
Another important pillar of events is that they are spiritual in nature, where the spirit of communion makes us all greater than what we are in our physical bodies. This is driven not by organisers or exhibitors, but by the industry as a whole. The objective of stakeholders should be to co-create value in the spirit of communion.
Run time – 00:49:06
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50min
May 15, 2025In Conversation with Leanne Velky, Owner & Operator, Leanne Velky, Inc.
Leanne Velky is an entrepreneur and self-proclaimed Registration Nerd, having built somewhere in thousands of registration sites over the past 15 years. She is the owner/operator of Leanne Velky, Inc., an agency focused on providing white glove registration site build and support services to corporate clients since 2015, mainly focusing on building out complex registration sites.
With an insatiable thirst for knowledge, Leanne has most recently been diving into other platforms and the entire event tech ecosystem to better serve and advise her fellow event professionals.
To learn more or keep up with Leanne, visit www.leannevelky.com.
Leanne Velky
In this episode, Leanne discusses how ideal registration websites for the trade shows and events industry should be built, what information must be conveyed to visitors, and what details must be collected from people who register. At a minimum, the website must convey information on dates and locations, so that attendees can decide upfront if they can be available on those dates to visit that event.
The information collected must ultimately benefit people who register, or at the least be of help to exhibitors or planners. Unless planners and exhibitors do something with the data then it is best to not ask people who register to fill in long questionnaires. Asking many questions, say 40, on a registration form should be acceptable if people have a way to opt out of replying. In any case, if a certain question does not apply to a person, a forced answer skews the data.
Websites should be customised based on the specific attendee experience that the organiser is aiming for, and it also depends on the kinds of attendees expected. While sometimes a large event expecting thousands of visitors can have only one type of attendee, smaller events with far fewer visitors may require dissecting visitors into several types.
Link: www.leannevelky.com
Run time – 00:43:56
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50min
April 29, 2025In Conversation with Lorenzo Garbujo and Vijay Sharma, Senior Consultants, jwc
Lorenzo Garbujo
Originally from Italy, Lorenzo Garbujo is a Senior Consultant at jwc. Lorenzo has successfully led and advised on more than 15 major strategy projects for organisers and venues. These include market entry strategies, internationalisation strategies, venue masterplans, commercial due diligence assignments, and market and competitor analyses. Lorenzo leads jwc’s industry research and is the project manager for the firm’s flagship publication, the Global Industry Performance Review (GIPR)—the world’s leading annual report on the trade fair industry. He also oversees jwc’s consulting activities in Italy. Lorenzo holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and a Master’s double-degree in Business and Management through the QTEM (Quantitative Techniques for Economics and Management) program.
Vijay Sharma, our second guest in this episode, is a Director and Senior Consultant at JWC. A seasoned executive in the global trade fair and business events industry with over 14 years of experience, including leadership roles across Singapore and India, Vijay brings deep expertise in launching trade fairs, portfolio strategy, commercial and digital (hybrid) strategies and M&A. His track record spans high-impact projects across India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Africa and Malaysia, where he has successfully shaped market entry and growth strategies in complex, fast-evolving environments. Vijay is a recipient of the prestigious UFI Next Generation Leadership (NGL) Grant and an active member of the UFI Working Committee. He holds a master’s in international management from the University of Strathclyde, UK.
Vijay Sharma
In this Episode, Senior Consultants Lorenzo Garbujo and Vijay Sharma talk about the “Global Industry Performance Review 2024” a research report published by jwc, a global leading consulting firm for the trade fair and conference industry, renowned for its strong international reputation. This report is a detailed and extensive report based on extensive collation of data from across the world.
The report covers aspects such as Global macro-economic indicators and trends, KPIs and pricing trends, Global exhibition industry and forecast, the Top-40 company performance reviews, as well as regional deep dives into areas such as China, GCC, and India.
In the episode, Lorenzo and Vijay talk about rapid growth in certain regions, the importance of the European markets, higher price points due to capacity shortages, and trends in emerging versus mature markets. They also discuss post-pandemic recovery and stagnation in certain regions, as well as expectations and possible adjustments due to tariff regimes that we may encounter going forward.
Run time – 00:49:06
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50min
April 20, 2025In Conversation with Matthew Harris, Senior Managing Partner, Harris Capital & Partners
Matthew Harris is a serial technology entrepreneur with over 23 years of international experience spanning strategic advisory, capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, board advisory, and founder mentorship. An expert in technology, product development, and capital raising, Matthew has founded multiple start-ups, achieved two successful exits, and been part of a NASDAQ listing management team, along with overseeing 10 post-acquisition integrations. He is also the author of several patents.
Today, Matthew focuses on M&A across the globe, helping founders and entrepreneurs realise their vision and connect with purposeful buyers and investors. His mission is to align founder-led businesses with individuals and organisations that are driven to make an intentional, positive impact on the world.
Known for his approachable style and deep industry knowledge, Matthew brings clarity, expertise, and a relationship-driven approach to every engagement, ensuring that both sellers and buyers achieve meaningful, long-term success.
Matthew Harris
Matthew Harris discusses the trajectories in the event industry in the light of recent technological revolutions such as AI. According to him, the important factor that would attract an exhibitor to an event is the solution. Leading with AI is not a compelling force to build confidence with participants.
The role that AI can play, however, is that it can make everybody’s job easier by analysing data. Data can be leveraged to provide the right messaging to appropriate target groups. This is just one example, but data can be used in numerous ways to better address concerns of individual attendees.
Events can also become more innovative in terms of their offerings. One example is a congress, where people congregate for learning, development and discovery. The exhibition can then piggyback on the main event, that is, the congress.
Run time – 00:52:39
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53min
March 24, 2025In Conversation with Josiah Taulbee, Founder & CEO, GoLucid, LLC
Josiah Taulbee has a career in events spanning two decades and acutely feels the pain of events and trade show teams. He began as a registration specialist and worked as an executive for some of the top independent show organizer firms in the United States. His experience spans multiple technology-related roles, giving him a unique perspective on the growing, evolving event tech landscape.
In 2023, Josiah founded GoLucid, LLC, a research and consulting firm dedicated to discovering the best event technology solutions for clients in associations and independent show organizer companies. He used his industry knowledge to develop a proprietary matching system, bringing together clients and vendors tailored to specific needs.
Josiah Taulbee
Josiah Taulbee talks about the Eventech Industry and its rapid evolution over the last few years. He talks about the emergence of AI, and why AI is not Eventech, but a component that might add value to Eventech if used judiciously. Josiah believes that at present while there are huge possibilities, the use of AI has not been optimized to justify the hype behind it. Like so many other technologies, it is just another tool in the arsenal.
AI could be of great value in planning events, as well as connecting the right attendees to the right booth, thereby optimizing time for the visitor and increasing ROI for the exhibitor. As of now, technology has not been able to open that door of connecting the buyer to the booth optimally, especially in large exhibitions, and there remains a missed opportunity.
The Eventech industry is largely unorganized, and users are not actively searching for solutions. It is therefore imperative that creators of technology create more educative content that will reach potential users and apprise them of the possibilities on the horizon.
Run time – 01:10:10
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1h 11min

FAQs about The Trade Show Podcast:

How many episodes does The Trade Show Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 17 episodes available.