Association Update: Women in Exhibitions Sets Summit in London, New Sustainability Tool Debuts, 360 Live Media Expands

May 8, 2025
Lisa Plummer Savas
excel london

In recent weeks, an event strategy and marketing agency and two key industry associations announced new offerings for trade shows and events. 

Women in Exhibitions 2025 World Summit Set For July at Excel London 

Women in Exhibitions (WiE), a global network focused on empowering women in the exhibitions and events industry, has announced that its 2025 WiE World Summit will take place July 8-9 at Excel London. This year’s theme, “Elevate, Accelerate: Together We Rise,” highlights the collective power of inclusive leadership and cross-industry collaboration to drive innovation, equity, and resilience in the industry. 

The 3rd annual Summit, which is expected to gather more than 200 professionals from across the globe, will kick off with a networking dinner on July 8, followed by a full-day summit on July 9. During the event, industry executives, future leaders, and DEI changemakers will have a chance to experience keynotes, expert panels, interactive breakout sessions, as well as peer-to-peer learning designed to accelerate personal and organizational growth, according to WIE officials. 

oana cipca
WiE Founder Oana Cipca
 

“This is the year to accelerate change,” said WiE Founder Oana Cipca. “We rise faster, higher, and stronger when we rise together. This summit is not just for women — it’s for every leader, ally, and organization committed to building a future-fit exhibitions industry.” 

Program highlights include: 

  • Future-Proofing the Industry: What Next-Gen Leaders & Experienced Voices Want from Work – and from Events! 
  • More breakout sessions on leadership, wellbeing, negotiation skills, and career strategy, to name a few 

New this year: 

  • The ROI of Inclusion: Gender Equity as Strategy 
  • Allyship in Action: What Leaders Are Learning About Inclusion and Managing Conflict 
  • Global Forces, Local Impact: How Politics and Demographics are Reshaping Our Industry 

“Excel London is delighted to be the partner venue for the upcoming Women in Exhibitions Global Summit,” said Caroline Gourlay, head of B2B sales, Excel London and president of WiE’s UK Chapter. “The UK Chapter continues to thrive and is an important voice within our industry. We are looking forward to welcoming WIE members from across the world to London for what is sure to be an inspiring and engaging event.” 

women in exhibitions
Last year’s Women in Exhibitions World Summit was held in Milan.
 

Register here. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Cipca at [email protected]. 

The Exhibitor Advocate Introduces New Sustainability Sourcing Tool 

 

jessica sibila
The Exhibitor Advocate Executive Director Jessica Sibila
 

The Exhibitor Advocate, a nonprofit association dedicated to trade show exhibitor success, has launched a practical framework designed to help exhibit and event professionals meet the increasing demand for sustainability with its new Sustainability Sourcing Compass. 

Developed and written in partnership with business sustainability certification and gap analysis assessment company Reduce 2, this open-source tool equips exhibit and event professionals with the ability to make sustainability a part of the procurement process with suppliers and vendors. Besides providing foundational knowledge and ready-to-use, customizable language to include in RFPs for sustainability-related requirements, the tool also offers contract-ready verbiage to enforce sustainability criteria post-supplier selection. 

Built to align with the best practices and guidance from key industry leaders, including the Experiential Designers and Producers Association (EDPA), Events Industry Council (EIC), Exhibition Services & Contractors Association (ESCA), Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), and the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative, the tool is categorized by the following: 

  • Organizational Sustainability Management (OSM) 
  • Sustainability Integration (SI) 
  • Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) 
  • Carbon Emissions (CE) 
  • Sustainability Attributes and Materials (SAP) 
  • Procurement and Supply Chain Management (PSCM) 
  • Waste Management (WM) 
  • Availability, Fees, Compliance, Terms and Termination (AFCT&T) 
glenn hansen
Glenn Hansen, CEO and founder of Reduce 2
 

“Exhibit and event planners have long understood the importance of sustainability, but translating intentions into specific RFP and contract language has been challenging,” explained The Exhibitor Advocate Executive Director Jessica Sibila. “The Sustainability Sourcing Compass provides clarity, precision, and actionable language to ensure sustainability is embedded into every stage of event planning – from supplier selection and RFPs to the final contract terms.” 

Download the complimentary Sustainability Sourcing Compass here. 

Exhibit and event professionals interested in learning more about the Sustainability Sourcing Compass can join an online discussion forum on May 15, “From RFP to Reality: Using the Sustainability Sourcing Compass.” The session will feature Glenda Brungardt, sustainability champion and former global event manager at HP, and Glenn Hansen, CEO and founder of Reduce 2, who will demonstrate real-world applications of the tool through specific scenarios. Register here.  

360 Live Media Expands Offerings 

Event strategy and marketing agency 360 Live Media, a Smithbucklin company, has expanded its capabilities to provide end-to-end event growth solutions for exhibition and conference organizers, including event strategy, experience design, planning and management, marketing, and sales services.  

“This is exciting news for any association with an event,” said Jack Macleod, president of 360 Live Media, which was founded in 2011 and acquired by Smithbucklin in 2018. “Event organizers are looking to simplify and streamline their operations in today’s complex and expensive event marketplace. The integration of these services with 360 Live Media will enable efficient event growth for our clients.”  

jack macleod
Jack Macleod, president of 360 Live Media
 

The move formalizes the integration of Smithbucklin’s event management expertise and sales services with 360 Live Media’s strategic creative and marketing capabilities in response to increasing customer demand for both organizations’ services through a single client service delivery team, according to company officials.  

Through this integration, clients now have access to event solutions from both companies, according to Smithbucklin officials. 

“We saw tremendous potential when we acquired 360 Live Media,” said Matt Sanderson, president and CEO of Smithbucklin. “[This] announcement is most meaningful because of the value it will create for our clients, our employees, and our company.”  

The firm also unveiled a refreshed brand identity in conjunction with this expansion. 

Smithbucklin is a professional services company offering full-service management, meetings, sales, and strategic marketing solutions for non-profits and industry associations.  

Main image: Excel London will host the 2025 Women in Exhibitions World Summit.

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