Happy New Year everyone and welcome to the first edition of Snöcap 🏔️ for 2026!
We had a nice, restful holiday with lots of celebrations and are now back, as fresh as a new snowflake!
Here are top event industry headlines of the first week of Jan:
Get the full stories below ⤵️
Nineteen Group completes three acquisitions in a week, promotes new CEO
Nineteen Group has acquired three companies in one week and promoted Alison Jackson to CEO, with Peter Jones moving into a broader role as Group CEO, the company announced.
The acquisitions include The Lead, SubSummit and Reliabilityweb, marking expansion in the U.S. retail events market and manufacturing sector.
The Lead operates executive-level brand and retail leadership events and forums. The company hosts The Lead Summit in New York City, which draws more than 3,000 senior executives. The next edition will be held May 20-21, 2026.
“The Lead has built an influential community of senior brand and retail decision-makers,” said Mary Larkin, President, Nineteen Group Americas. “It is a core part of how Nineteen Group is establishing its presence in the U.S. retail events market serving senior leaders navigating consumer, technology, and organizational transformation.”
Noah Gellman will continue as CEO of The Lead.
“Joining Nineteen Group gives us the ability to scale our core events, deepen engagement with our audience, and expand thoughtfully into new markets while preserving the quality and relevance that sets The Lead apart,” said Noah Gellman, CEO of The Lead.
SubSummit, a conference focused on technology-enabled subscription commerce, was founded in 2016 and serves more than 1,600 senior leaders in recurring-revenue businesses. The next flagship event will take place in Kansas City, Mo., May 13-15, 2026.
“SubSummit is a well-established event with a clear focus and a highly engaged audience,” said Mary Larkin. “It strengthens Nineteen Group’s U.S. presence and fits naturally within our portfolio of category-leading retail and commerce events focused on transformation and technology.”
Christopher George will continue as Co-Founder & CEO of SubSummit, and Paul Chambers will continue as Co-Founder & COO.
“Joining Nineteen Group allows us to scale the flagship event thoughtfully and, over time, explore opportunities to bring the SubSummit brand to new audiences and markets,” said Christopher George.
Reliabilityweb, a community focused on reliability engineering, maintenance and asset performance, operates flagship events including the International Maintenance Conference, The Reliability Conference and MaximoWorld. The company also offers professional training and certification programs.
“Reliabilityweb brings unmatched credibility and community trust,” said Mary Larkin. “Nineteen brings the infrastructure, event capability, and global footprint to help that community thrive at scale.”
Terrence O’Hanlon founded Reliabilityweb 27 years ago.
“This partnership safeguards the endurance of something built on purpose, relationships, and trust,” said Terrence O’Hanlon, Founder of Reliabilityweb. “Maura Abad and I are honored to continue our work—still serving the community we love, now with renewed strength and an expanded future ahead.”
All three acquired companies will continue to operate under their existing brands.
Peter Jones commented on the leadership changes: “This evolution seriously ups the ante for our next super-growth phase. It allows me to focus more time where I can add biggest impact across culture, vision and acquisitions. And, I couldn’t be more thrilled to see Alison take on the CEO seat.”
Alison Jackson added: “From the earliest days in the cupboard, we focused on building the strongest leadership team in the sector. I’m proud to see them step up into broader roles creating even more value for Nineteen.”
Nineteen Group also formed a new Executive Board. Tristan Norman and Mike Costain step into Group Managing Director roles. They are joined by Mary Larkin, Group COO David Holden and Group FD Carly Lees. Peter Jones, Alison Jackson and Jon Lacey will serve on this Board while remaining on the Investor Board with Phoenix.
Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance unveils 2026 Public Policy Agenda for U.S. events industry
The Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance has announced its 2026 Public Policy Agenda, outlining federal and state policy priorities for the U.S. business and professional events industry.
“2026 presents a critical moment for our industry in Washington, D.C., and beyond,” said Fernando Fischer, Chair of the ECA Board of Directors and President, Americas for RX. “The policy decisions made this year will directly affect our collective ability to create new jobs, reduce economic uncertainty, safeguard affordability for our small businesses and those we serve, and strengthen U.S. competitiveness.”
The agenda addresses six policy areas:
- Trade and tariffs: Preserve affordability and reduce uncertainty for the industry and its customers
- International travel: Lower barriers to attracting international exhibitors, attendees and buyers, including reducing visa wait times, modernizing visa processing and eliminating fees and policies that deter travel to the U.S. for events
- Taxes: Enhance industry competitiveness while opposing measures that harm the U.S. business and professional events ecosystem
- Workforce development: Strengthen the industry’s ability to recruit, train and retain workers
- Sustainability: Support policies and industry-led efforts that help ensure the industry maintains control of its path to Net Zero
- Operating environment: Support a competitive, predictable policy environment that supports innovation and growth
“As a global industry, exhibitions and conferences depend on the free flow of people, goods, and ideas,” said Mark Bogdansky, Vice Chair of ECA and Vice President, Trade Shows & Community Engagement for the Auto Care Association. “Reducing barriers to international travel and trade is essential to maintaining the United States’ position as the premier global destination for business and professional events. ECA will continue to champion policies that welcome international stakeholders and grow the industry’s impact in states and communities nationwide.”
Chris Griffin, Treasurer of ECA and President & CEO of Crew XP, said workforce development and tax policies will be priorities.
“In 2026, ECA will prioritize workforce development initiatives that help attract and train new skilled workers, while also advocating for tax policies that support investment, innovation, and long-term stability for our industry and its many small businesses,” said Chris Griffin.
ECA will provide opportunities for industry leaders to engage with policymakers through the ECA Advocacy Network and on ECA Legislative Action Day.
“Advocacy is most effective when industry leaders show up and share their stories directly with policymakers,” said Hervé Sedky, Secretary of ECA and President & Chief Executive Officer of Emerald. “ECA’s agenda is a call to action for leaders across the U.S. business and professional events ecosystem to get involved, engage with elected and appointed officials, and help shape policies that impact our industry and the communities we serve from coast to coast.”
German Trade Fair Industry supports 280,000 jobs and generates €30 Billion in economic output: Study
The trade fair industry in Germany contributes €30bn to the country’s economy annually and supports 280,000 jobs, according to a study by German economic research institute Prognos.
The study, conducted for the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry AUMA, shows the sector generates €5.4 billion in tax revenue for federal, state and local governments.
The research is based on surveys of over 33,700 visitors and 17,700 exhibiting companies conducted between September 2024 and October 2025 at 30 trade fairs across 10 German trade fair venues. The full study will be published in the coming weeks.
Messe Frankfurt was the first to publish its figures from the survey. The venue secures more than 30,000 jobs in Germany and generates €667 million in tax revenue.
Key figures:
- €30bn in annual economic contribution
- 280,000 jobs supported
- €5.4bn in tax revenue generated
- 33,700 visitors surveyed
- 17,700 exhibiting companies surveyed
- 30 trade fairs analyzed across 10 venues
- Messe Frankfurt: 30,000 jobs, €667m in tax revenue
“The German trade fair industry is a key industry for international networking and export promotion of the highest order,” said Philip Harting, Chair of the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry AUMA. “Two thirds of all leading trade fairs in the global economy take place here. Their importance for the German SMEs cannot be overstated, as trade fairs provide the ideal platform for building international business. Trade fairs provide an invaluable economic boost to entire regions, particularly the hospitality sector, retail and skilled crafts and trades.”
Philip Harting called for policy measures to strengthen Germany’s position as a trade fair location.
“Ministers for economic affairs at federal and state levels must work to strengthen Germany’s position as trade fair location number 1 worldwide,” said Philip Harting. “This would involve implementing a modern and digital visa issuance process for our foreign trade fair guests, improving transport infrastructure and reducing reporting obligations to enable us to focus fully on our core business, as well as introducing trade fair funding programmes worthy of a leading export nation. These measures are essential for maintaining our top position worldwide.”
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