Welcome to the latest edition of Snöcap 🏔️ – our weekly event news roundup
Are you ready for the #OneEpicEvent? Yeah, we are talking about IAEE’s Expo!Expo! which goes live next week in Houston!
For the uninitiated – Expo! Expo! is the events industry’s most influential marketplace. It’s where the people who build exhibitions and trade shows come together to explore what’s next. And it’s often regarded as the biggest stage for new ideas, technologies, and business models shaping the future of exhibitions.
If you’re attending this year, Team Snöball looks forward to meeting you! We will be at booth #T04 so just holler if you’re in the zone 😎
Here are the headlines of the week, starting with a lowdown on Expo!Expo!:
- Stage set for IAEE’s Expo!Expo! 2025
- Easyfairs makes inroads into North America with acquisition of Energy Projects Conference & Expo (EPC)
- Messe Frankfurt on track to hit €766 million sales in FY 2025
- Bending Spoons agrees to acquire Eventbrite for around $500 million
- Who is hiring?
Read on for the full stories ⤵️
Stage set for IAEE’s Expo!Expo! 2025
IAEE’s Expo!Expo! 2025 kicks off December 8 at the George R Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.
The three-day event brings together trade show organizers, exhibitors and industry professionals to explore strategies and solutions for creating, scaling and executing events. Expo!Expo! serves as a platform for learning about innovations and trends in the exhibitions industry.
The conference features five immersive learning zones on the show floor, curated discussions and roundtables with industry leaders, and an innovative general session demonstrating how educational content can integrate with the exhibit floor.
Content Tracks:
The event will cover four main content tracks:
- Captivate, Engage, Elevate: The Ultimate Marketing Playbook – Sessions on digital marketing, content creation, brand management, attendee acquisition and customer engagement strategies.
- Monetize & Maximize: Sales and Sponsorship Mastery – Content focused on identifying and building exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities, sponsorship activation, sales prospecting and team management.
- Event Excellence: Elevating Design, Operations and Engagement – Topics include contracting, safety protocols, sustainability practices, cost-effective methods and experiential design principles.
- Forward Thinking: Innovations and Insights Shaping the Future – Sessions on workforce development, data analysis and trends shaping the future of exhibitions and trade shows.
A dedicated track on AI’s impact on event evolution will highlight hands-on applications for integrating AI-driven solutions into trade show operations, including resource allocation, productivity enhancement and attendee experience optimization.
Meet Snöball at Booth #T04
Swing by booth #T04 to meet Snöball’s Founder and CEO Rachel Stephan and Sales Manager Saad Tawfiq, who will be discussing peer-to-peer marketing solutions to grow your events and engage your audience.
Whether you’re looking to add more ‘right’ attendees to your show or massively amplify its reach through peer advocacy campaigns, you will surely get some revealing insights about the power of P2P!
Easyfairs makes inroads into North America with acquisition of Energy Projects Conference & Expo (EPC)
Easyfairs has acquired Energy Projects Conference & Expo (EPC), marking the event organizer’s first purchase in the United States. The transaction gives Easyfairs ownership of what it describes as the world’s largest energy projects event.
The acquisition represents the start of Easyfairs’ expansion into the U.S. market. EPC covers engineering and construction projects across five energy segments: LNG Export, Power Generation, Petrochem & Refining, Midstream, and Alternative Energies.
“EPC has the perfect profile for Easyfairs to expand our presence in the vibrant and rapidly evolving energy sector,” said Matt Benyon, Easyfairs group CEO.
“Adding EPC to our portfolio supports our goal of growing Easyfairs in the US market by acquiring leading events with strong growth potential. The energy sector is on a steep growth trajectory, fuelled by technological advances and rising power demands from data centres and artificial intelligence.”
Josh Bull launched EPC three years ago. The event has doubled in size each year since inception, growing from a hotel conference to a tradeshow.
Easyfairs plans to grow EPC by expanding its energy sub-segments and conference program, and to replicate the event concept in other energy markets. Arnaud Istas, Easyfairs Group Head of M&A US, said the company has experience launching events in new locations, including Coiltech North America.
“We are thrilled to partner with Easyfairs,” said Josh Bull, EPC founder. “Their investment will support EPC’s rapid growth, and we look forward to benefiting from their tradeshow expertise and proven systems. Our community is assured of an even better, high-quality experience.”
Mayfield Merger Strategies represented EPC in the transaction. The current EPC team will remain with the event.
The next EPC will take place June 16-17, 2026, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.
Messe Frankfurt on track to hit €766 million sales in FY 2025
Messe Frankfurt expects consolidated sales for 2025 to exceed €766m (below €775 million in 2024), according to preliminary figures released by the company.
A snapshot of the group’s financial performance:
- Consolidated sales 2025: Over €766m (2024: €775m)
- Sales in Germany: Over €395m (2024: approximately €432m)
- Sales outside Germany: Over €370m (2024: approximately €343m)
- Group earnings 2025: Approximately €39m (2024: approximately €82m)
- International sales as percentage of Group sales: Approximately 48%
Wolfgang Marzin said the sales and earnings performance was influenced by exchange rate developments resulting from global trade policy, particularly in relation to the US dollar and Asian currencies. He attributed the decline in German sales to the annual rotation of events and fewer Group flagship events taking place in Frankfurt compared to the previous year.
“Messe Frankfurt’s earnings for 2025 demonstrate its financial resilience,” Wolfgang Marzin said.
By the end of the year, a total of 346 events will have been held worldwide, featuring approximately 95,500 exhibiting companies and an estimated 4.9m visitors, an increase of 300,000 from last year. More than 81% of exhibitors and over 57% of visitors came from outside Germany.
“Financial year 2025 shows once again that our worldwide events are the economic engine for sectors, giving them a valuable boost. In times of ongoing geopolitical and economic crises, we are aiming to strengthen our resilience and market presence,” said Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt.
The company held more than 200 guest events in 2025, including trade fairs, conferences and congresses. Over 150 events have been confirmed for 2026, including new events such as Ebseek Fastener Expo, AMI Compounding & Recycling Expo and SimRacing Expo.
“We expect the Group’s sales and market share to continue their upward trend in the coming year,” Wolfgang Marzin said. The company has planned around 350 events worldwide for 2026.
Read the detailed financial update
Bending Spoons agrees to acquire Eventbrite for around $500 million
Bending Spoons has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Eventbrite, Inc. (NYSE: EB) in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $500m.
Under the terms of the agreement, Eventbrite stockholders will receive $4.50 in cash for each share of Eventbrite capital stock. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals, including regulatory approvals and approval by Eventbrite’s stockholders.
“Joining forces with Bending Spoons will accelerate innovation and strengthen Eventbrite’s tools and resources to bring even more people together through shared live experiences for many years to come,” said Luca Ferrari, Bending Spoons CEO and Co-Founder.
Luca Ferrari said the company plans to explore building a dedicated messaging feature, introducing AI for easier event creation, improving searchability and creating a system for the secondary ticket market.
“As we look ahead, I’m energized by the speed, resources, and innovative power of Bending Spoons to propel Eventbrite into its next chapter,” said Julia Hartz, Eventbrite Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Executive Chair.
Financial Details:
- Per-share purchase price: $4.50 in cash
- Premium: 82% over Eventbrite’s 60-day volume-weighted average share price as of market close on Dec. 1, 2025
- Total transaction value: Approximately $500m
The proposed transaction was unanimously approved by Eventbrite’s Board of Directors and is expected to close in the first half of 2026. Upon completion, Eventbrite will become a privately held company and its capital stock will no longer be listed on any public stock exchange.
Who is hiring?
Verkada – Sr. Tradeshow and Event Marketing Manager | Tradeshow Associate | Senior Manager of AMER Field Marketing
AKASA – Sr. Events Coordinator
Miliman – Event Manager – Trade Shows & Conferences
Guidepoint Security – Sr. Manager, Corporate Events
