EACA News
Muller Wins 2026 Intrepid Award. Bill Muller of Nth Degree was announced as the winner of the EACA’s 2026 Intrepid Award.
The EACA Intrepid Award was first introduced in 1999 to honor the individual, organization or consortium that provides a level of service to our clients industry and our industry at-large that consistently goes above and beyond that which is normally expected. Through Muller’s tireless efforts and a genuine passion for collaboration, Bill has gone above and beyond in fostering stronger, more productive relationships between all stakeholders in show floor operations. His ability to build trust and alignment among labor sources, local union leadership, and general service contractors has been nothing short of transformative.
Muller was nominated for this award in January. His name was place on the Intrepid Award ballot along with fellow nominees Jessica Sibila of The Exhibitor Advocate, Matthew Little of Nuvista, John Zimmerman of Event Pro Logistics and Sho-Link. Voting was conducted by EACA members throughout the month February and Muller was crowned the winner on Sunday.
The EACA extends its congratulations and sincere thanks to Bill Muller for his outstanding efforts as well as those of his fellow nominees.
EACA Leadership Conference @ ExhibitorLive. The EACA held its inaugural Annual Leadership Conference on Sunday, March 29 in conjunction with ExhibitorLive at the Tampa Convention Center. The Leadership Conference was attended by more than 50 EACA members and invited industry professionals who enjoyed has an outstanding program of presentations that focused on the necessary shift from the urgency of now to the critical importance of responding to consistent and constant industry change.
The Leadership Conference is the first of EACA’s ongoing intention to engage its membership pillars with roundtable discussions to identify potential challenges and to take advantage of future opportunities. These small-group conversations will be designed to encourage open dialogue, fresh thinking, and practical takeaways that can be applied immediately.
EACA Thanks our Leadership Conference Sponsors:
Presenting Sponsor
There.App
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
EAC Registration Schedule EACA is supporting the following events with our EAC registration services:
BIO Jun. 22-25 San Diego
Summer Fancy Foods Jun. 28-30 New York
On the Road – To The Floor
We’re starting a new section here that is ALL about YOU, our members. We’re interested to hear about your experiences, insights, and perspectives. Each month in the Buzz we’ll post a question here and ask you to share your thoughts by email to [email protected].
Best answers will be featured in the next month’s Buzz.
What is your favorite personal item that you’re always sure to pack when you travel?
EACA Member News
Eagle Management Announces Leadership Change in Orlando Eagle Management Group (“Eagle”) is announcing a leadership transiton within its Orlando operations. Russell Markusic, City Manager, and Patty Markusic, CSR, will be retiring after 30 years of dedicated service to Eagle and the Orlando trade show community. Chris Perry will assume the role of City Manager, and George Duncan will step into the Assistant City Manager position.
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Russ Markusic. Patty Markusic Chris Perry George Duncan
Kudos to Mitch Simon, Momentum Management Momentum Management City Atlanta City Manager, Mitchell Simon, has dedicated an incredible 36 years to the tradeshow industry. His experience, leadership, and commitment to getting the job done right have made a lasting impact on the teams and partners he works with every day. We are proud to have him leading our Atlanta operations and grateful for the knowledge and professionalism he brings to every show.
Exhibit City News Offers Exclusive EACA Member Discount. Exhibit City News (ECN) has introduced an exclusive directory listing discount for members of the Exhibition and Convention Alliance of Canada (EACA). The offer applies to new listings and annual renewals for EACA members in good standing. EACA members receive preferred pricing on two tiers in the ECN Service Directory. The Standard Listing is $1,000 per year, a savings of $275 off the standard rate. The Premium Listing is $2,000 per year, a savings of $300.
“This exclusive offer will help drive more options for consumers of professional labor services, be they exhibit and event producers, or end user exhibitors,” says ECN publisher Don Svehla.
To access the discount, EACA members can use code EACA10 during registration. The code will automatically apply within the ECN system. For details on listing options, visit the ECN Service Directory on Exhibit City News.
Industry News
The Uncomfortable Truth from Exhibitors Last month Jessica Sibila, CMP, CTSM, executive director The Exhibitor Advocate, held a webinar with Joe Federbush, president and chief strategist, of EVOLIO Marketing: The Uncomfortable Truth, What Exhibitors Really Think and Why It Matters. Sibila and Federbush discussed the results of an ongoing survey The Exhibitor Advocate and EVOLIO Marketing are conducting to analyze the current state of event marketing from an exhibitor perspective. Highlights from results include:
- 75 percent of exhibitors rate their event program as excellent or good
- costs of exhibiting have increased by some 30 percent
- trade show budgets have increased of about 20-25 percent
- 85 percent of respondents who say they are unable to prove ROI and success (up 10 points from 2024)
- 55 percent say increased costs outweigh the value of their investment
- 43 percent say they prefer holding offsite activities instead of exhibiting
- 64 percent are scaling back overall presence at events.
NBAA Moves to New Orleans in 2028. The National Business Aviation Association will bring its flagship NBAA-BACE back to New Orleans in 2028, marking the major trade show’s first return to the Crescent City since 2001.
ExhibitorLive Takes Place in Tampa <ExhibitorGroup> The Annual ExhibitorLive trade show took place in Tampa, FL this week. Produced by the Exhibitor Group, a sizzle reel of the event’s first day has been shared online.
Event Industry Council Survey. The EIC has recently announced their 2026 Global Economic Significance of Business Events Study. Created in partnership with Oxford Economics, this study provides the credible data our industry relies on to demonstrate its economic impact, inform policy decisions and strengthen advocacy efforts worldwide.
This study is conducted to ensure that the business events sector is accurately represented and positioned for future investment, growth and recognition.
• The survey takes approximately 20 minutes.
• Participants earn 1 CMP Continuing Education (CE) credit
• Survey closes 6 April 2026
• Study will be released as part of Global Meetings Industry Day on 6 May.