EACA News
Time to Vote for the People’s Choice Award at the ExSys Awards. <Exhibit City News> Judged by The Experiential Design Authority (TEDA), the ExSys Awards recognize excellence in system-based exhibits, showcasing projects that exemplify creativity, innovation, and superior design. These awards celebrate the ingenuity and creativity of designers and marketers who push the boundaries of modular and system-based solutions. While the judges’ scores will determine the winners for the other awards, the People’s Choice Award is selected by popular vote.
Exhibitor Advocate Publishes 2025 Survey of Exhibition Rates The 2025 Annual Survey of Exhibition Rates is now available! Now in its fourth year, this independently audited report benchmarks material handling, labor, electrical, internet, and exhibition costs across 23 major U.S. cities.
For exhibitors, organizers, and suppliers alike, this report has become an essential budgeting, benchmarking, and negotiation tool.
A few findings from this year’s report:
- Electrical outlet rates up 18.4%
- Material handling costs continued climbing to an average of $2.28/lb.
- Booth flooring costs accelerated sharply
EACA App is On the Way. Development of the new App for EACA is on the way and we expect to launch later this month. The EACA App will include these features:
- Directory of Individuals in the EAC community
- Directory of Service organizations in the EAC community
- Local community networking – stay up-to-date on show needs and issues, reach out to the community to get informed, solve challenges or provide support to your industry colleagues
- EAC Forum – share ideas, provide alerts offer suggestions, discuss upcoming event challenges
- Industry Knowledge Base – includes Best Practices, guidance from industry experts
- Media Center – EACA courses, Panel discussions
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
NBAA Oct. 20-22 Las Vegas
EACA Member News
Eagle Management Hires Brett Hyams as VP Strategic Growth. With more than 36 years of experience in the trade show, events, and experiential marketing industry, Brett brings a wealth of knowledge, strategic insight, and a strong commitment to client success. Throughout his career, he has built a reputation for fostering meaningful partnerships, identifying growth opportunities, and helping organizations create impactful and memorable brand experiences.
At Eagle, Brett will focus on expanding strategic partnerships, supporting client growth initiatives, and helping deliver innovative solutions that enhance the overall event experience. “His industry expertise, relationship-driven approach, and dedication to service make him a valuable addition to the Eagle team. We are excited to navigate this growth journey with Brett,” says Laura Marzella Fee, VP of Sales & Marketing.
Avoid HR Related AI Scams <Employco USA> Artificial intelligence (Al) is transforming how organizations recruit, communicate, and operate. Unfortunately, the same tools that are streamlining HR workflows are also fueling a new wave of sophisticated scams. From deepfakes of CEO voices to fake job applicants submitting Al-generated resumes, threat actors are exploiting Al to create more believable, personalized, and scalable attacks. For managers and HR teams, often the first line of communication with external candidates and vendors, understanding how these scams work can help offer a first line of defense against common, preventable scams. Read More.
Gary Wannemacher Passes Away. Gary Wannemacher passed away peacefully on May 9. He worked for I&D, (later Nth Degree) for 38 years. His work ethic and the respect he had from the people he worked with was unparalleled. He worked and lived all over the country including Boston, Miami and Las Vegas, eventually settling in Chicago where he quickly became the Midwest Regional Manager and met his future wife, Kerry DiBenedetto, who he married in 1986. He built a thriving company in Chicago for Nth Degree and was a dedicated leader and mentor to the men and women who worked with him.
He was a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees – because they were the only team on television when he was a kid – as well as an enthusiastic but critical fan of all the Chicago sports teams. He was an avid golfer and passionate about music, especially Frank Zappa and The Allman Brothers. In the early 70s, he looked so much like Frank Zappa, that while attending an Allman Brothers concert, they invited him on stage to wave to the crowd.
Industry News
ECA Legislative Action Day News. <Politico> A group of more than 200 business and professional events leaders were on the hill on May 28 for the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance’s annual Legislative Action Day to discuss job growth and affordability and to advocate for the reauthorization of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, the government’s 9/11 era insurance backstop in case of terrorist attacks. Meetings were held with more than 150 offices of federal representatives including Senators Masto (D-NV), Tillis (R-NC), Moody (R-FL) and Collins (R-ME), as well as Representatives Titus (D-NV), McCormick (R-GA) and Himes (D-CT).
Business Events Generated $1.3 Trillion in 2025. <Northstar Meetings Group>. A new study has unveiled the immense scope, scale and impact of business events worldwide as it reveals they generated $1.3 trillion in direct spend last year. The 12% rise in direct spend in six years – the result of 1.65 billion people meeting in 180 countries – was higher than that of many other large sectors, including manufacturing and air transport, according to report creator, the Event Industry Council (EIC).
Apollo Acquires and Merges Questex and Emerald <Northstar Meetings Group> There’s major consolidation news in the B2B event space this week, as the private equity firm Apollo announced that Apollo Funds would acquire both Emerald and Questex and subsequently combine the companies’ B2B event portfolios. That equates to some 160 events across what Apollo describes as complementary vertical markets, a combination of the exhibitions Emerald is known for and the varied events and digital engagement lineup that is currently part of Questex.
Apollo is one of the nation’s largest private-equity firms, with a vast portfolio that includes the Venetian Las Vegas and The Travel Corporation.
Convention Centers Participate in First Ever Sustainability Report <TSNN> For the trade show industry, convention centers sit at the center of sustainability expectations. They host thousands of events a year, serve millions of attendees, and increasingly face pressure from organizers, exhibitors, cities, and regulators to prove environmental performance—not just intentions.
The newly released Venue Sustainalytics Industry Report offers the clearest data snapshot yet of how convention centers are actually performing compared with other venue types—and where opportunities remain. Download the full report here for free.
Airlines Reduce Schedules in Face of Oil Crisis <The Guardian> Two million airline seats were cut from May’s schedules as airlines redraw their operations because of soaring jet fuel prices amid the Middle East conflict. About 13,000 fewer flights operated in May around the world after recent cancellations, according to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium.