When most events reach a quarter century milestone, they usually celebrate with extended remembrances, focusing their constituents’ attention on all that came before. The 2026 Exhibition and Convention Executives Forum (ECEF), held in Washington DC, had no intention of going down that road.
“For 25 years, executives have been coming to ECEF to share and prepare for what’s coming around the next corner. We’re not going to start looking back now,” said Sam Lippman, president of Lippman Connects, producers of ECEF. ECEF 2026 delivered this year’s Forum for a record-setting audience of 276 exhibition and convention industry leaders.
Setting the tone for the day, Informa VP Edwina Kulego’s keynote, A Global Mindset Pays Off Even if You Operate Locally, reminded the audience that their travels had given them the gift of exposure to multiple perspectives. She urged organisers to borrow and adapt from unfamiliar perspectives to improve resiliency and innovation.
Lippman’s 5 Key Data Points in 5 Minutes delivered five data points focused on new research revealing that organisers are underutilising learning opportunities at events.
Additional presentations included:
- Bob Hughes, VP, NACS – The Profitability of Restraint: Why Leaving Money Behind Pays Off
- Brandy Rand, VP, Questex; and Kiersten Pearce, SVP, American Hotel and Lodging Association – Building Better Together: Lessons in Strategic Partnerships
- Fernando Fischer, president of the Americas, RX – Punching Up: Why We Need ECA 2.0
- Sam Lippman; Joshua Oloriegbe, Diamond Vaughn – First Impressions: Annabelle Project Mentees Speak
- Shelly Palmer, CEO, The Palmer Group – The Agentic Enterprise: What Every Leader Needs to Know
- Rajul Shah, GM & global head of sales, Zoom – I’ve Been to Your Show. Here’s What I’d Change
- Kimberly Hardcastle, chief strategist, Freeman; Ken Holsinger, SVP, Freeman; Christine Murphy Peck, chief global learning Officer, ASIS International; Rebecca Sausner, CEO, Yotta — Adding Information Value Across the Event Experience.
ECEF 2027 will be held 2 June at the Marriott Marquis in Washington D.C.
Learn more at www.lippmanconnects.com.
