A. Fassano & Company

What A. Fassano & Company does

A. Fassano & Company (AFCo) is a US-based, founder-owned professional services firm founded in 1995 by Anna Fassano that specializes in managing exhibit and sponsorship sales programs for non-profit associations. Headquartered in the Blackwood/Philadelphia, New Jersey area with a distributed team across the US, the firm operates with approximately 20-30 employees and serves prestigious associations primarily in healthcare (American Diabetes Association for 27 years, Heart Rhythm Society and APTA for 22 years each), human resources (SHRM Annual Conference via a partnership with The Hilpl Group), and adjacent verticals including early education, hospitality, retail, municipality, wireless, insurance, and research & science.

The company delivers its services through seven integrated offerings: Exhibit Sales & Management, Sponsorship Development/Sales & Management, Market Research & Lead Generation, Tradeshow Logistics & Floor Management, Marketing & Promotions, PCI/SOC compliant Financial Management, and Virtual/Hybrid Events. Underlying capabilities include proprietary sales management systems, PCI and SOC compliant financial processing infrastructure, an industry-tenured team that holds CEM and CMP certifications, and a research function (led by Merle Zappan and strengthened by the 2023 hire of Natalie Duncan) that supports market trend analysis, sponsor prospecting, and pharmaceutical market mapping. The firm claims responsibility for 400+ trade shows globally across its leadership's tenure.

AFCo runs a sales-led B2B professional services model, generating revenue through commission- and fee-based arrangements for managing client associations' exhibit and sponsorship programs. Client acquisition is driven by long-tenured relationships, industry referrals, and Request for Proposal processes; the firm provides formal RFP and exhibitor-interest intake forms on its website. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is custom-quoted per engagement. Distribution is primarily direct sales to association executives and event managers, supplemented by the channel partnership with The Hilpl Group (THG) which extends reach into SHRM and other accounts. The firm has no external institutional funding and is controlled by founder Anna Fassano.

Name

A. Fassano & Company

Legal name

A. Fassano & Company

Website

https://afassanoco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

A. Fassano & Company is a US-based, founder-owned professional services firm that manages exhibit and sponsorship sales programs for non-profit associations, serving long-tenured healthcare, human resources, and adjacent industry clients through seven integrated service lines including sales, logistics, marketing, and PCI/SOC-compliant financial management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Blackwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Exhibit Sales & Management Services: Managing exhibit and sponsorship sales programs for associations. The company employs sales professionals who achieve growth for tradeshow clients through commission or fee-based arrangements for managing prestigious exhibit and sponsorship programs.
2. Sponsorship Development & Sales: Developing unique sponsorship packages to meet stakeholder needs while fostering attendee engagement and returning maximum profit margins to clients and meaningful ROI to sponsors.
3. Tradeshow Logistics & Floor Management: Creating and executing every aspect of planning, organizing and delivering tradeshows while setting the industry standard of unmatched service.
4. Marketing & Promotions Services: Concise and relevant messaging developed, designed, tracked, and analyzed to reinforce tradeshow and sponsorship benefits to existing relationships and drive new industry engagement.
5. Virtual/Hybrid Events: Providing exhibit, sponsorship marketing, sales, and logistics for virtual and hybrid events with full resources and knowledge for planning, executing, and measuring results.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

A. Fassano & Company is a full-service marketing firm that manages exhibit and sponsorship sales programs on behalf of non-profit associations. Its core work spans sales of tradeshow exhibit space, development and fulfillment of sponsorship packages, market research and lead generation, end-to-end tradeshow logistics and floor management, ongoing marketing and promotions outreach, PCI/SOC compliant financial collection and reporting, and the planning and execution of virtual and hybrid events.

Product overview

A. Fassano & Company is a service-based company offering a unified portfolio of exhibit sales and sponsorship management services for associations. The core offering consists of seven integrated service lines: Exhibit Sales & Management, Sponsorship Development, Sales & Management, Market Research & Lead Generation, Tradeshow Logistics & Floor Management, Marketing & Promotions, Financial Management, and Virtual/Hybrid Events. These services work together to provide comprehensive tradeshow and sponsorship program support, from market research and lead generation through sales, logistics, financial processing, and event execution. The company serves multiple industry verticals including Healthcare, Early Education, Hospitality, Retail, Municipality, Human Resources, Wireless, Insurance, and Research & Science.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhibit Sales & Management Comprehensive management of exhibit and sponsorship sales programs for association tradeshows, featuring motivated sales professionals, advanced systems, and cost-effective strategies that drive growth for client tradeshows.
• Sponsorship Development, Sales & Management Expert development of unique sponsorship packages tailored to stakeholder needs, fostering attendee engagement while maximizing profit margins for clients and delivering meaningful ROI to sponsors.
• Market Research & Lead Generation Market trend analysis, directional forecasting, and identification of untapped and under-represented market segments through comprehensive research and prospecting to support client success.
• Tradeshow Logistics & Floor Management End-to-end planning, organization, and delivery of tradeshow operations with industry-leading service standards for customers and stakeholders.
• Marketing & Promotions Development, design, tracking, and analysis of concise, relevant messaging that reinforces tradeshow and sponsorship program benefits to existing relationships while driving new industry engagement through phone and in-person outreach.
• Financial Management PCI and SOC compliant collection, processing, and reporting services ensuring the highest security standards for customers and providing instant, reliable access to financial data for clients.
• Virtual Events and Hybrid Events Full-service exhibit, sponsorship marketing, sales, and logistics for virtual and hybrid events, including planning, execution, and results measurement capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Client relationships spanning 2-3 decades demonstrate sustained value delivery
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Hilpl Group, LLC (THG)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAFCo and THG operate as a partnership to deliver exhibit and sponsorship management services to association clients. The partnership has been serving SHRM (Society of Human Resource Management) for 6 years, providing exceptional customer service, quickly learning the industry, and helping grow the SHRM Annual Conference & Exposition year-over-year. This is described as a 'truly great partnership' by SHRM leadership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• MCI Group: Global meetings, events, and association management firm operating across 60+ countries; competes with AFCo on association-led events and sponsorship programs at much larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• Encore Global: Global provider of event technology, production, and venue services to meeting planners and associations — competes with AFCo on the production and logistics layer of association trade shows at significantly larger scale.
• Freeman: The largest brand experience company in the world, providing end-to-end event production, exhibit design, and logistics; competes with AFCo on large-scale trade show execution and sponsorship-driven programs for associations.
• GES (Global Experience Specialists): Global exhibit and event services provider offering design, fabrication, logistics, and on-site services for trade shows and conventions — competes with AFCo for association trade show programs where end-to-end exhibit and sponsorship execution is required.
• Cvent: Leading event management software platform used by associations and corporations for registration, sponsorship management, and attendee engagement; a broad incumbent whose technology increasingly overlaps with services AFCo performs manually.

Direct peers

• SmithBucklin: The largest association management company in the US, providing full-service management including events, expositions, and sponsorship sales for hundreds of professional and trade associations — directly overlapping with AFCo's outsourced exhibit/sponsorship sales model for nonprofit associations.
• Hargrove: US-based event and exposition management company producing trade shows, conventions, and corporate events for associations and corporations — a like-sized peer in outsourced event operations and exhibit/sponsorship sales management.
• George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: Large experiential marketing agency that designs, builds, and operates brand experiences, exhibits, and sponsorship activations — directly comparable to AFCo's exhibit sales and sponsorship development services, particularly for healthcare and technology clients.
• The Expo Group: US-based full-service exposition management firm offering exhibit sales, sponsorship development, and event operations for association and corporate trade shows — a closely comparable peer to AFCo in outsourced exhibit/sponsorship sales management.

Emerging players

• Bizzabo: Cloud-based event experience platform with sponsorship, exhibitor, and attendee modules; an emerging player whose self-service tooling could enable associations to bring sales and sponsorship functions in-house, pressuring AFCo's service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AFassanoCompany

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles26 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about A. Fassano & Company