Santa Barbara, California — 15day The annual Trade Show Executive (TSE) Gold 100 Awards and Summit celebrated the largest trade show of 2023 over a week at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara in sunny Santa Barbara.
Approximately 200 show organizers and vendors spent time networking, learning from other leaders at the Education Summit and enjoying experiential events while celebrating the Gold 100 winners and Grand Prize recipients at the Gold 100 Awards Gala.
Beautiful views, golden connections
This year’s event welcomed attendees in Gold 100 style with a variety of networking and experiential activities. The annual Gold 100 Chairman’s Dinner was hosted by Rick Simon, Chairman of TSE and President and CEO of United Services, and was held at The Wine Collective with food from The Lark. Located in the heart of Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone, the dinner was designed to welcome attendees who arrived early.
Attendees also had the opportunity to tour the Vega Vineyards and Farm in Santa Barbara, where they could taste wine, enjoy lunch with a view, shop for fresh produce and play with adorable farm animals. The GES and OnPeak-sponsored event also featured wine sensory stations and a blind tasting challenge.
The annual Gold 100 Golf Tournament at the iconic Sandpiper Golf Club is a more fun and friendly affair. Featuring mini-contests such as Longest Drive, Hole-in-One and Closest to the Pin, golfers enjoy a great day on the course while networking with past, present and potential business partners.
The official welcome party kicked off with a California Wine Experience sponsored by Map Your Show, welcoming everyone and showcasing the gorgeous Ritz-Carlton Bacara and ocean views.
The opening ceremony, sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, featured cocktails and food as attendees mingled as the sun set over the water.
Summary of the Golden 100 Education Summit
The TSE Education Summit kicked off with a detailed economic update from Dr. Peter Rupert, who said indicators showed strong output growth, a strong labor market, and that a recession was unlikely in the U.S. Rupert was optimistic that inflation was inching closer to the Fed’s 2% target and that the overall economy was strong.
Afterwards, industry experts and leaders Vinnie Polito, CEO of SISO, Eric Lisman, Senior Development Advisor of Informa, Chris Brown, Head of Level Up Strategies, and Kathleen Thomas, Managing Director of JEGI, took the stage to discuss the M&A landscape of the trade show industry.
“There are still some myths about M&A, especially when people turn to private equity,” Thomas said. “People don’t buy activities and companies to break them up. They buy them to grow. We talk about this all the time; they spend millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars on companies because they want them to be worth two or three times that, so the people who drive those businesses are critical. They don’t want to get rid of those people, change their roles or make them unhappy. They want to write them a blank check or do whatever they need to do to support them to accelerate growth.”
The group also detailed the differences between buying a company and purchasing a single event from an association and stressed the importance of having a post-show plan in place for the systems and people affected by the transaction.
Kimberly Hardcastle, President of mdg, and Kimberly Carcone, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing at the U.S. Toy Association, It then discussed how Toy Fair attracts a large number of first-time exhibitors and provides them with a great experience through the equation of environment (dedicated community) + education + engagement + exposure. Carcone stressed the need to provide additional support and guidance to newcomers to help them make the most of their time at the event and put them in the best position to grow their business, which Toy Fair does through their Launch Pad community and newcomer education program.
Before the Gold 100 Education Summit lunch break, attendees got a sneak peek at the October 2024 lunch with Emerald President of Connections Issa Jouaneh. Beth Cowperthwaite, Emerald SVP of Communications, discussed with Jouaneh his career and how Emerald fosters a culture that supports entrepreneurial talent. The two also touched on what Emerald sees as high-growth industries, including one-on-one programs and cryptocurrency, as well as developing young talent through a purposeful employee hybrid environment.
“The audience and technology are the two opportunities we have,” Jouaneh said. “We need to continue to update and
Re-energizing the audiences that come to our events and looking at the diversity and long-term future of our events, how our events can continue to grow and continue to be relevant to these communities. From a technology perspective, I still think we’re largely behind, so from registration to mobile apps to the live experience, I think those are opportunities for us.”
The afternoon’s Education Summit featured case studies by Arlene Davis, Director of Content and Experience at NPE, and Damaris Piraino, Senior Director of Show Marketing, and was moderated by Jack Macleod, President of 360 Live Media, to discuss the return of NPE to a record high in 2024 after a six-year absence.
The team behind the show revealed how they are focusing on making data-driven decisions to help generate revenue and grow attendance, and how they are using a new marketing campaign, ‘For You’, to resonate with a wider audience. The introduction of an educational programme and close links with associations have helped to drive interest and value to the audience.
Afterwards, Korbi Carrison, Vice President of G2E Events at RX, and Courtney Muller, President of Manifest and Chief Corporate Development Officer of Connectiv, spoke about how G2E (Global Gaming Expo) attracts and engages international attendees, including exclusive tours and experiences for premium buyers, and a client invitation program that attracts approximately 70% of all attendees. By leveraging international partnerships with other organizations and events, G2E has successfully positioned itself as a can’t-miss event for the global gaming industry and is poised for continued growth in the future.
“It was a little scary to work with trade shows because they were running competing events. What if we lost customers?” Callison said of G2E’s partnership with Latin American trade shows. “It’s been the exact opposite. The Latin American shows we work with have very loyal audiences who follow all the events and look to show management for guidance on future developments. Now when management says, you have to be at G2E, the market listens, they come, and they do as much business at G2E as they do at home, which is very valuable and amazing.”
The day closed with a panel discussion featuring this year’s TSE Women to Watch, Nicole Cho, Traci Hirst, Jannat Choudhury, CEM, and Renee Gravelle, and moderator, CNTV President Carrie Ferenac, who discussed what young professionals value most and want from their organizations. Panelists said flexibility and one-on-one meetings with their teams and bosses were important to them, as was keeping an open mind and listening to all voices when making decisions that promote inclusion.
And the winners are…
The celebratory atmosphere at the opening ceremony continued into the final night of the event, when the 2024 Golden 100 Awards were revealed, with sponsors taking to the stage to announce the winners, Oscars style. Coveted awards such as Marketing Genius, Best New Product Launch and Greatest Trade Show 2023 highlighted innovation and forward-thinking, setting the standard for excellence in the industry in 2023.
Winners of both the metric and qualitative awards were recognized for their achievements in front of 200 industry peers, with CONEXPO-CON/AGG winning the 2023 Largest Trade Show and Slam Dunk Awards: Best New Idea of 2023. MJBizCon won the 2023 Most Extreme Social Media Results Award, and IAAPA Expo was named the Stickiest Exhibit Hall of 2023. Best New Product Launch of 2023 went to Hospitality Expo, and LUXURY won the 2023 Best Exhibitor ROI Award.
To mark the event’s 15th anniversary, two new categories were addedday RE+ tied with NRF: The Big Show of Retail for best anniversary show, biggest overall riser (up 20 spots), and biggest yearly riser (up 17 spots).
Check out the full list of winners here: Trade Show Executive Unveils 2024 Gold 100 Award Winners
ISC West was named the Greatest Trade Show of 2023, following an impressive performance last year—including a 52.6% increase in attendance and an 89.6% increase in participation in SIA education programs. The show also achieved record levels of attendee and exhibitor satisfaction, an improved show floor feel, and an enhanced customer experience throughout the show.
TSE also presented Freeman board member and former CEO Bob Priest-Heck with the Gold Standard of Excellence Award. Priest-Heck was recognized for his numerous contributions, disruptions and innovations to the trade show industry during his career, including his leading role in forming Go LIVE Together during the COVID-19 pandemic, his involvement in launching the Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge, and his progressive leadership at Freeman, which resulted in the company being named the fourth best employer for women by Forbes.
Read Bob Priest-Heck’s “Power Lunch” in the September issue of TSE magazine.
2025 Gold 100 Awards and Summit
Keep in mind the 2025 TSE Gold 100 Awards Ceremony and Summit, an event to honor and recognize the biggest and best shows in 2024, to be held October 14-17 at the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage in Palm Springs, California.
Interested in sponsoring or wanting to learn more about TSE’s portfolio of events? Please contact April Walsh, TSE Vice President of Sponsorships and Engagement, at awalsh@tradeshowexecutive.com.
Subscribe to TSE Magazine to receive a complete recap of the Gold 100 Awards and Summit, including more key takeaways from the Education Summit, photos from the event, and more!
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