Society Of Independent Show Organizers (SISO)

What Society Of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) does

SISO (Society of Independent Show Organizers), founded in 1990 and headquartered at 2 East 28th Street, New York, is a non-profit professional association and the principal peer network for senior leaders — presidents, owners, CEOs, and CFOs — of for-profit trade show, exhibition, and event organizers. Its 195+ member companies collectively produce over 3,500 events annually and represent a stated $122 billion impact on the global economy. Named members include RX Americas, Clarion Events, Comexposium, Emerald, dmg::events, Diversified Communications, Questex, Koelnmesse, Messe Frankfurt, IMEX America, 1105 Media, and Access Intelligence.

SISO's product portfolio centers on member engagement and industry convening rather than technology. Core offerings include the annual CEO Summit (scheduled April 5-8, 2027 at The Ritz Carlton Amelia Island, Florida), the Leadership Conference, peer-to-peer SISO Exchanges (Marketing Exchange, Founder's Exchange), a keyword-searchable Membership Directory, the SISO TV video platform, webinars, the Krakoff Industry Award recognition program, Research Resources, and a Workforce Development Program operated in partnership with the Exhibitions Industry Collective and CNTV. The organization has no proprietary technology stack, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities; it operates as a traditional professional association using standard association tools.

SISO is member-funded through tiered annual dues keyed to each member company's revenue, supplemented by event sponsorships and conference revenue. It is not investor-backed and has no funding rounds or parent company. Governance rests with a Board of Directors of industry leaders, and the organization is led by CEO Vincent Polito (since January 1, 2023), supported by Operations & Conference Manager Anna Osnower and Membership & Sponsorship lead Katherine Truesdale. Polito brings 25+ years of industry experience, including prior senior roles at Reed Exhibitions/RX, The Interface Group/Ziff Davis, and as Managing Director at mdg (2012-2022), and is a past Chairman of IAEE and Pinnacle Award recipient.

Name

Society Of Independent Show Organizers (SISO)

Legal name

Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO)

Website

https://siso.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SISO is a non-profit professional association founded in 1990 serving senior leaders of for-profit trade show and exhibition organizers. It represents 195+ member companies producing over 3,500 events annually via CEO Summit, Leadership Conference, peer Exchanges, and member services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAHACAK

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Professional Conference Organizers (PCOs) & Meeting Planners

Keywords

• Trade show association
• Exhibition industry network
• Professional association services
• Show organizer membership
• Industry peer networking

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: SISO generates revenue through annual membership dues from for-profit show organizers. The dues structure is based on member companies' annual revenue, creating a tiered membership model that accommodates small, medium, and large/global companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

SISO is a membership-based professional association serving senior leaders of for-profit exhibition and trade show organizers. It provides peer-to-peer networking, industry education, advocacy, and workforce development through annual conferences (CEO Summit, Leadership Conference), peer exchanges, webinars, research, and a member directory.

Product overview

SISO is a membership-based industry association serving for-profit show organizers, not a software product company. The organization provides a unified platform of member services including the CEO Summit (annual C-level networking and knowledge-sharing conference), the Leadership Conference (annual leadership development event for upper-level management), SISO Exchanges (peer networking groups including Marketing Exchange and Founder's Exchange), a Membership Directory (keyword-searchable contact database), Workforce Development Program (industry awareness and career development initiative), SISO TV (video content library), the Krakoff Industry Award (recognition program), Research Resources (industry intelligence), and Webinars (educational programming). These offerings collectively enable industry leaders to connect, share best practices, and drive innovation in the face-to-face events industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CEO Summit: Annual summit for company owners, presidents, CEOs, and CFOs in the exhibitions industry.
• Leadership Conference
• SISO Exchanges
• SISO TV

Products and services

• CEO Summit Annual C-level gathering for global for-profit show organizers offering peer networking, industry insights, and exclusive content for company owners, presidents, CEOs, and CFOs.
• Leadership Conference Annual leadership event for exhibition executives featuring visionary speakers, industry case studies, and interactive discussions for CEOs, owners, and senior executives.
• SISO Exchanges Peer-to-peer thought leadership forums including Marketing Exchange and Founder's Exchange enabling members to share insights and best practices.
• Membership Directory Keyword-searchable online directory providing access to senior management contacts within the SISO member community.
• Workforce Development Program Industry awareness and career development initiative in partnership with the Exhibitions Industry Collective, featuring campaigns and video series targeting students, job seekers, and educators.
• SISO TV Video content library featuring interviews from CEO Summits and Leadership Conferences, providing on-demand access to industry leader insights and event highlights.
• Krakoff Industry Award Annual award program recognizing outstanding leadership and contributions to the exhibitions and events industry.
• Research Resources Access to industry research, trends outlook, and data insights supporting strategic decision-making for member organizations.
• Webinars Online educational sessions covering digital marketing trends, influencer marketing strategies, and other industry-specific topics for member professional development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Member companies produce over 3,500 events annually with $122B global economic impact
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CNTV (CyberNetwork Television)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026The Exhibitions Industry Collective partnered with CNTV to launch a workforce development video series highlighting diverse career opportunities in the exhibitions and events industry. The initiative showcases real people, real roles, and real career paths to inspire students and professionals.
• Exhibitions Industry CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSISO is an active member of the Exhibitions Industry Collective, a coalition of organizations across the exhibitions and live events ecosystem working together to strengthen the industry's future. The Collective focuses on industry awareness as the foundation for workforce development.
• Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSISO works closely with ECA, the public policy association for the business and professional events industry. ECA advocates on behalf of event and meeting organizers, exhibitors, suppliers, venues, and destinations.
• Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR)minorOthersSISO maintains industry links with CEIR for exhibition industry research and data.
• UFI (Global Association of the Exhibition Industry)minorOthersSISO collaborates with UFI, the global association for the exhibition industry.
• International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE)minorOthersSISO maintains a relationship with IAEE for industry advocacy and education.
• U.S. Travel AssociationminorOthersSISO collaborates with USTA on travel and tourism related initiatives affecting the events industry.
• Event Leaders Exchange (ELX)minorOthersSISO connects members with ELX, an invitation-only global community for senior corporate event leaders.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA): Public-policy association representing the business and professional events industry. Overlaps with SISO's advocacy function and is explicitly listed as a core partner of SISO.
• Event Industry Council (EIC): Industry association serving event professionals across corporate, association, and exhibition segments. Comparable to SISO as a convener and standards-setter in the broader events ecosystem.
• Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR): Research body that produces data and benchmarking for the exhibitions industry. Compares to SISO on the research and industry-intelligence side of its offering and is a current SISO research partner.
• International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE): U.S.-based membership association for exhibition and event organizers, including for-profit producers. Highly comparable to SISO and listed as an existing SISO partner for advocacy and education.
• UFI (Global Association of the Exhibition Industry): Global peak association for the exhibition industry that serves exhibition organizers, venues, and suppliers worldwide. Directly comparable to SISO as an industry association serving the for-profit exhibitions sector; SISO already collaborates with UFI.

Broad incumbents

• ASAE (American Society of Association Executives): Trade association for the association-management profession. Comparable to SISO as a peer body serving association executives, with overlapping education, research, and benchmarking product lines.
• MPI (Meeting Professionals International): Largest worldwide association for meeting and event professionals, serving corporate and association planners and suppliers. Compares to SISO as a peer community plus education and certification body in the meetings/events space.
• U.S. Travel Association: National umbrella association for the U.S. travel industry, which includes meetings, events, and exhibitions. Comparable to SISO at a higher, broader travel-industry level and an existing SISO ally.
• International Live Events Association (ILEA): Global association for live-event professionals spanning corporate, nonprofit, and exhibition events. Adjacent peer to SISO because it serves many of the same senior professionals on the event-production side.

Emerging players

• Event Leaders Exchange (ELX): Invitation-only global community for senior corporate event leaders. Comparable to SISO because it targets the same senior-executive tier with peer-group experiences, though focused on corporate rather than for-profit organizer buyers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/457751875353
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sisoorg
• Xx.com/SisoOrg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Society Of Independent Show Organizers (SISO)