From concert venues to convention halls, stagehands and I&D professionals share a common thread: they build the magic behind the scenes.
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13.08.2025 20:59 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
From Chatbots to Agents and Beyond: How AI is Transforming Trade Shows in 2025 | Al Mercuro
From Chatbots to Agents and Beyond: How AI is Transforming Trade Shows in 2025 "In trade shows, this evolution is also happening fast, with AI powering everything, from access to knowledge to agents that can be built with no coding skills. Here’s what we’re seeing right now, and what you can do to get ahead in the emerging zero-click economy." Grateful to Anna Huddleston and Event Marketer for yesterday’s insightful article on the evolving role of AI in the trade show industry. It’s exciting to see how technology is reshaping how we plan, execute, and engage. A special thank you for spotlighting Genesis Exhibits’ new Trade Show Maestro—our custom ChatGPT-powered assistant designed to support both seasoned professionals and newcomers alike. From streamlining logistics to enhancing productivity, it’s a tool built to make trade show life easier, smarter, and more connected. Proud to be part of a team that’s embracing innovation while staying grounded in the human connections that make our industry thrive. Al Mercuro, strategic marketing and client engagement advisor at Genesis Exhibits, says: “It’s already quite good at estimating projects, however, one long-term goal, already in process, is to train it with additional, more detailed industry standards for design and manufacturing, further improving its ability to adjust concept renderings and generate deeper bills of materials (BOMs) for production purposes, faster and with far greater accuracy.” https://lnkd.in/eKJKYrXR https://lnkd.in/dS3ccjPr Events Education & Workforce Development Federation Live Events Coalition Events Industry Council EDPA - Experiential Designers & Producers Association Eventex Sandie McCoubrey Janice Cardinale VEMM Nicola Kastner Liz Lathan, CMP Candy Adams CTSM/CEM/CMP/CMM/VEMM ~ The Booth Mom® The Exhibitor Advocate
From Chatbots to Agents and Beyond: How AI is Transforming Trade Shows in 2025 linkedin.com/posts/al-mer...
13.08.2025 14:50 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Reaching 10,000 LinkedIn connections is more than a milestone, it reflects the valuable relationships, collaborations, & shared expertise built over my career
@GenesisExhibits
12.08.2025 18:03 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Are Trade Show Marketing Costs on the Rise?
Trade shows remain a powerful platform for building brand presence—but are the costs of marketing at these events climbing faster than expected?
Read more here: lnkd.in/ecZ8Kbmz
11.08.2025 19:45 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
New tariffs snap into effect, raising import taxes to highest level since Great Depression! | Al Mercuro
New tariffs snap into effect, raising import taxes to highest level since Great Depression! Avoid Tariff Fallout—Rethink Your Exhibit Strategy Despite claims that foreign governments bear the brunt of tariffs, the reality is hitting much closer to home. U.S. companies are the ones absorbing these costs when importing the materials and components critical to production. This ripple effect is already driving up prices—and with new tariffs now in motion, those increases are only set to accelerate. For businesses in the exhibit industry, this means it's time to rethink strategies, cut unnecessary costs, and stay agile. One smart move? Renting your trade show booth. As all event professionals already know, participating in trade shows is a strategic endeavor that can significantly enhance your brand's visibility and foster valuable industry connections. A pivotal decision in this process is determining whether to rent or purchase your trade show exhibit. While both options have their merits, renting often presents a suite of advantages, particularly in today's fluctuating economic environment influenced by tariffs and other related factors. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/excxeDQ6
Avoid Tariff Fallout—Rethink Your Exhibit Strategy linkedin.com/posts/al-mer...
07.08.2025 15:19 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Thanks to my friend Iain Morrison for sharing this today!
23.07.2025 21:29 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Exclusive Interview: Abilities Expo Revenue Surges 62% Since Raccoon Acquisition Last Year. | Al Mercuro
Exclusive Interview: Abilities Expo Revenue Surges 62% Since Raccoon Acquisition Last Year. MD Reveals Strategy Behind The Numbers! As a parent of a child with a disability and a lifelong professional in the trade show industry, this event has long held personal and professional significance for me. Over the years, I’ve attended many iterations of this show and have witnessed its evolving role in advancing accessibility, inclusion, and meaningful engagement. That’s why I’m especially thankful to Danica Tormohlen for her insightful interview with Katy Roberts of Raccoon Media Group, spotlighting exciting updates since the group's acquisition of the show in 2024. It’s encouraging to see experiential design take center stage—now more than ever, we need events that invite everyone in and leave no one behind. Looking forward to seeing how this vision continues to unfold. 👏 "Enhanced Experiential Elements. Roberts detailed new stage content: "The events arena is high-octane with dance, sports, and exercise classes," to complement educational workshops on adaptive living, showcasing the expanding scope of experiences offered. For example, “we have YouTube sensations within the disability community like the Rollettes who are an internationally known wheelchair dance group, some of whom performed at the Paris Paralympics opening ceremony [in 2024].” The result: The event footprint expanded by 62% in total square footage." As we move forward, I hope more organizers across the industry embrace this mindset. Please consider planning for inclusion at all events—not just where it’s expected, but where it’s needed most. Looking forward to seeing how this vision continues to unfold! #TradeShowIndustry #InclusionMatters #ExperientialMarketing #EventStrategy #RaccoonMediaGroup #IndustryLeadership https://lnkd.in/eHRB4egF Genesis Exhibits TSNN - Trade Show News Network Events Education & Workforce Development Federation Live Events Coalition EDPA - Experiential Designers & Producers Association The Experiential Design Authority 🤝 Meetings & Events Support Association (MESA) Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD Jim Cermak Meg Strahle Nedra Dickson Joan Eisenstodt Jill Houghton Gail Stocks Dahlia El Gazzar 🧿Samantha Evans, ICE-CCP, CAE, MBA Andrea J. Alma Schneider, L.C.S.W.
Abilities Expo Revenue Surges 62% Since Raccoon Acquisition Last Year. MD Reveals Strategy Behind The Numbers
@TSNN_com_US
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22.07.2025 18:34 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
“Why Younger Talent Doesn’t Stay Put—and What the Events Industry Can Do About It” linkedin.com/posts/al-mer...
17.07.2025 15:41 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
How the Troubadour Keeps Its Indie Heart Beating After Nearly 70 Years | Al Mercuro
How the Troubadour Keeps Its Indie Heart Beating After Nearly 70 Years “We’re All Kind of Insane” Taylor Mims’ recent piece in Billboard offers a powerful reminder of what makes independent venues like The Troubadour so essential. Despite the crushing impact of the pandemic, this iconic Los Angeles space—where legends launched and musical history was born—continues to thrive on grit, heart, and an unshakeable commitment to live music. “The Troubadour is a standalone independent venue. It is not owned or operated by one of the big promoters like Live Nation or AEG... The storied venue, first opened in 1957, is one and done with only six full-time employees and typically no more than 20 staff on site for a show including bartenders and security.” This part hit home with me, "Weston’s baby lives on over 25 years after his passing even after it faced dire straits during the pandemic. When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered all live events, two things saved the Troubadour from permanently closing: a GoFundMe that raised $70,000 to pay basic bills and employees, and the fact that they own their building." As someone on the board of Outpost in the Burbs, a nonprofit concert venue here in New Jersey, I relate deeply to this story. The challenges we faced during the COVID-19 shutdown were profound—not just financially, but existentially. It was this shared struggle that inspired me to join the NIVA - National Independent Venue Association and help launch its New Jersey chapter alongside leaders like Sara Scully. Through advocacy and collaboration with the State of New Jersey, we successfully secured emergency funding to help local venues survive one of the toughest chapters in our industry’s history. That work remains some of the most meaningful I’ve been part of. NIVA continues to be a vital voice—amplifying the needs of grassroots venues, fighting for cultural equity, and ensuring that independent spaces like the Troubadour don’t just survive, but thrive. Thanks to dedicated individuals like Stephen Parker, we’re keeping the soul of live music alive—one show, one venue, one community at a time. On a personal note: I really miss the Bottom Line in NYC but thankfully The Bitter End under Paul Rizzo is still presenting music in the Village. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e3JuDiWs Amy Morrison John Scher Cassandra Michler Ed Micone Live Events Coalition Claire O'Neill Hazel Bagwell Jonathan Vena David Genova Audrey Fix Schaefer Tim Drake Michael Dorf Wayne Forte David Rowan Eric Todd David Amlen John Hammond Mark Spector Izzy Sackowitz Ray Coles Tim McGrath Jeanne Stahlman Dayna Frank Steve Lurie Richard Barone
How the Troubadour Keeps Its Indie Heart Beating After Nearly 70 Years “We’re All Kind of Insane”
@billboard
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02.07.2025 19:02 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Tell me you work in #events without telling me you work in #events
30.06.2025 23:13 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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