EDPA - Experiential Designers & Producers Association

What EDPA - Experiential Designers & Producers Association does

EDPA (Experiential Designers & Producers Association) is a U.S.-based nonprofit trade association founded in 1954 and headquartered in Paw Paw, Michigan. It serves the experiential, exhibit, and event production industry, with a membership of thousands of professionals drawn from more than 300 companies across 18 countries. The association is organized around four mission pillars: advocacy, networking, education, and good works, and operates through U.S. chapters, the annual ACCESS conference, and the affiliated EDPA Foundation.

The association's core offerings are membership services rather than technology products. These include a professional membership program; a portfolio of industry awards (EDDIE Awards, Future Leaders, Hazel Hays, Ambassador, Designer of the Year, International Collaboration, and Chapter of the Year); the ACCESS annual conference; the EDPA Foundation scholarship and crisis-support program; education partnerships (notably with Exhibitor Group for EXHIBITOR eTrak and the Trade Show Foundations certificate program); a Future Workforce initiative; and a sustainability program aligned with the Net Zero Carbon Events Initiative. Its technology footprint is modest and operational: a Squarespace website (edpa.com), a MemberClicks members-only portal, a Shopify merchandise store, and a monthly email newsletter.

EDPA is funded primarily through annual membership dues from corporate members, supplemented by award submission fees ($150-$225 per entry), ACCESS conference registration and sponsorship, merchandise sales through the EDPA Shop, and newsletter advertising. Distribution and member acquisition run through the website, LinkedIn (under the EDPA Future Leaders brand), chapter events, and partnerships with industry bodies including the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA), The Exhibitor Advocate, ESCA, EIC, and IAEE. The organization is privately governed by a Board of Directors with a 17-employee staff.

Name

EDPA - Experiential Designers & Producers Association

Legal name

Experiential Designers & Producers Association

Website

https://edpa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EDPA is a U.S. nonprofit trade association, founded in 1954, serving thousands of professionals from more than 300 experiential, exhibit, and event production companies across 18 countries through membership, advocacy, education, and the ACCESS annual conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paw Paw

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: EDPA generates revenue through membership fees from professional members representing companies across 18 countries. The association serves thousands of professional members from more than 300 companies.
2. Award Submission Fees: The association collects fees for award submissions including the EDDIE Awards ($225 per entry), Future Leaders Award ($150 submission fee), and International Collaboration Award ($225 per entry).
3. EDPA Shop Merchandise: EDPA operates an online shop selling branded merchandise including clothing, coffee mugs, and other items representing chapters and the association.
4. Event Registration: EDPA organizes and hosts events including ACCESS annual conference, providing registration revenue opportunities. ACCESS 2025 was held at the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, Florida, December 2-5, 2025.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

EDPA is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1954 that serves the experiential, exhibit and event industry. It provides professional membership services including networking through chapters and conferences, industry advocacy, education programs, awards recognition, workforce development initiatives, and sustainability guidance. The organization represents thousands of professional members across more than 300 companies in 18 countries.

Product overview

EDPA (Experiential Designers & Producers Association) is a professional industry association, not a product company. Founded in 1954, it serves as a membership-based network for leaders in the experiential, exhibit, and event industry. The organization provides a portfolio of membership services including awards programs (Eddie Awards, Future Leaders Award, Hazel Hays Award, Ambassador Award, Designer of the Year, International Collaboration Award, Chapter of the Year), the EDPA Foundation Scholarship Program, the ACCESS annual conference, EDPA events calendar, education programs through Exhibitor Group partnership, the Future Workforce Initiative, Sustainability Initiative, and Advocacy through ECA partnership. These offerings are membership services rather than software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EDPA Membership Professional membership program providing networking, advocacy, education, and industry resources to companies and professionals in the experiential, exhibit and event industry.
• ACCESS Annual Conference

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 270 families assisted with more than $2.5 million in donations since 2001
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• EVOLIO MarketingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 January 2026EDPA's news section features research from EVOLIO Marketing and The Exhibitor Advocate on event marketing trends, including the 'Evolving Landscape of Event Marketing' report showing exhibitor optimism and ROI measurement priorities.
• Exhibitor GroupcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 January 2026Exhibitor Group and EDPA partnered to offer EDPA members a 25% discount on all educational sessions offered via EXHIBITOR eTrak. The partnership also includes discount pricing for EDPA members to attend the Trade Show Foundations: Mastering the Basics certificate program ($495 for EDPA members vs $895 for non-members).
• Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2026EDPA collaborates with ESCA and Events Industry Council on sustainability initiatives, including the release of comprehensive guidance for sustainable exhibition stand construction (GSESC) aimed at elevating sustainability practices among members.
• Gather VoicesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2025Gather Voices is a presenting partner for the '50 Over 50' awards program that celebrates innovative, influential event professionals over 50. The program honors experience, creativity, and mentorship in the exhibitions and events industry.
• Silver EPG (Event Professionals Group)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2025Silver EPG co-presents the '50 Over 50' awards program with Gather Voices, supporting the initiative to celebrate industry leaders who mentor and guide the next generation of event professionals.
• Trade Show News Network (TSNN)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2025TSNN serves as an official media partner for the '50 Over 50' awards program, providing media coverage and industry visibility for honorees.
• Informa ConnectminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2025Informa Connect serves as an official media partner for the '50 Over 50' awards program, supporting industry recognition efforts.
• IAEE (International Association of Exhibitions and Events)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2025IAEE serves as the official Community Partner for the '50 Over 50' awards program, aligning with the association's mission to celebrate industry thought leadership and mentorship.
• Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDPA is a member of the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance, a coalition of leading associations comprising the unified public policy voice of the business and professional events industry. ECA advocates on behalf of the industry on issues including trade and tariffs, international travel, tax policy, workforce development, and sustainability.
• The Exhibitor AdvocatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDPA partners with The Exhibitor Advocate, a nonprofit organization dedicated to amplifying the voice of exhibitors to ensure the enduring success of exhibitions and events. The partnership promotes open communication, consistent standards, and industry best practices.
• Events Industry Council (EIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDPA partners with EIC alongside ESCA to develop industry-wide sustainability guidance and champion stakeholder engagement for environmental responsibility in exhibitions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Events Industry Council (EIC): EIC is the umbrella body for the meetings, events, and exhibitions industry, coordinating standards like the APEX sustainability framework. EDPA partners with EIC on sustainability guidance (GSESC) alongside ESCA, making it a direct peer and coalition partner addressing the same corporate member base.
• Exhibitor Group / EXHIBITOR Magazine: Exhibitor Group publishes EXHIBITOR Magazine, runs ExhibitorLive, and operates the eTrak education platform. EDPA members receive 25% discounts on Exhibitor Group's educational offerings, indicating overlap in serving the same exhibitor/exhibit-house buyer personas.
• Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA): ESCA represents contractors and service providers supporting exhibitions and live events. ESCA and EDPA co-develop sustainability guidance and share many member companies among exhibit houses and producers, making it a direct peer in the experiential production ecosystem.
• The Exhibitor Advocate: The Exhibitor Advocate is a nonprofit amplifying the voice of exhibitors and promoting industry standards. EDPA is a strategic partner, and the two organizations co-publish industry research and share board-level representation among the same member companies.
• International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE): IAEE is the largest trade association for the exhibitions and events industry, representing show organizers, suppliers, and exhibitors globally. It directly competes with EDPA for member companies and serves as official Community Partner on EDPA's 50 Over 50 program, indicating overlapping membership bases.

Broad incumbents

• Meeting Professionals International (MPI): MPI is a global association for meeting and event professionals with significant overlap in the corporate event buyer base. Both associations compete for education sponsorship and serve planners that procure experiential design services from EDPA members.
• Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA): PCMA is the leading association for business event strategists and meeting professionals. While PCMA is planner-focused and EDPA is designer/producer-focused, both compete for sponsorship and engagement from the same large corporate event teams.
• Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO): SISO serves independent exhibition organizers and is part of the ECA coalition alongside EDPA. It overlaps on advocacy and serves adjacent corporate members (show organizers) that work with EDPA's design and production members.

Others

• American Society of Association Executives (ASAE): ASAE is the umbrella body for the U.S. association industry. EDPA is itself a member of the broader association-management ecosystem that ASAE serves, making it a metalevel peer relevant for benchmarking association operations, governance, and best practices.
• Informa Connect: Informa Connect is the events-focused division of Informa plc, organizing large trade shows and providing media and content services to the exhibitions industry. Informa Connect is a media partner on EDPA's 50 Over 50 program, representing the commercial events ecosystem that EDPA's members serve as suppliers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/experiential-designers-&-producers-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about EDPA - Experiential Designers & Producers Association