{"id":13240,"date":"2025-10-14T13:10:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T13:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?p=13240"},"modified":"2025-10-14T13:10:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T13:10:27","slug":"podcast-the-secret-to-an-unforgettable-trade-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/podcast-the-secret-to-an-unforgettable-trade-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcast: The Secret to an Unforgettable Trade Show"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/the-association-adviser-podcast.cohostpodcasting.com\/episodes\/25-the-secret-to-an-unforgettable-trade-show-with-daniel-mckinnon-of-mhi?utm_source=AA&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=AApodcastS3EP3_AAarticle101425\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-13241\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13241 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/AA-Podcast-S3-Daniel-McKinnon-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"334\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/AA-Podcast-S3-Daniel-McKinnon-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/AA-Podcast-S3-Daniel-McKinnon-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/AA-Podcast-S3-Daniel-McKinnon-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/AA-Podcast-S3-Daniel-McKinnon-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/AA-Podcast-S3-Daniel-McKinnon-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/AA-Podcast-S3-Daniel-McKinnon-2048x2048.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 334px) 100vw, 334px\" \/><\/a>What separates a good trade show from a truly unforgettable one? According to industry veteran Daniel McKinnon, CEM, it comes down to one thing: creating lasting value for attendees, exhibitors, and partners alike.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">That is the focus of the latest episode of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/the-association-adviser-podcast.cohostpodcasting.com\/?utm_source=AA&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=AApodcastS3EP3_AAarticle101425\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Association Adviser Podcast<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, where McKinnon, Chief Exhibitions Officer at MHI, joins Christine Shaw, CEO &amp; President of Naylor Association Solutions, to share what he has learned over 30 years in the exhibitions industry. As the leader behind MODEX and ProMat, two of North America\u2019s largest supply chain trade shows, McKinnon has helped transform events into powerful platforms for innovation, connection, and growth.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">From the evolving role of technology to the fundamentals of great teamwork, McKinnon explains what it takes to deliver events that keep people coming back year after year. He discusses how leveraging data and AI allows teams to work smarter, not harder, and why focusing on attendee experience is the single best way to measure success. For McKinnon, a trade show\u2019s impact is not defined by size or budget. It is defined by how well it serves its community.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">He also shares how strong vendor and partner relationships form the backbone of every successful event. By treating exhibitors as collaborators instead of customers, associations can build experiences that are mutually beneficial and future ready.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">McKinnon\u2019s approach proves that unforgettable trade shows are not built by chance. They are built by intention, teamwork, and an unwavering commitment to value.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Listen now to the full conversation with Daniel McKinnon: <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/the-association-adviser-podcast.cohostpodcasting.com\/episodes\/25-the-secret-to-an-unforgettable-trade-show-with-daniel-mckinnon-of-mhi?utm_source=AA&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=AApodcastS3EP3_AAarticle101425\">The Secret to an Unforgettable Trade Show<\/a>.<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div><div class=\"author-info row\"><div class=\"col col-3\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-img\" src=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/03\/Tamara_Approved-Leadership-Background-Working-Files-768x512-1.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><div class=\"col col-9\"><div class=\"author-info-content\"><h3>About The Author<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<strong>Tamara Perry-Lunardo<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>is the Vice President of Content Services with Naylor Association Solutions. Reach her at <a href=\"mailto:tplunardo@naylor.com\">tplunardo@naylor.com<\/a>.\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What separates a good trade show from a truly unforgettable one? According to industry veteran Daniel McKinnon, CEM, it comes down to one thing: creating lasting value for attendees, exhibitors, and partners alike.\u00a0 That is the focus of the latest episode of the Association Adviser Podcast, where McKinnon, Chief Exhibitions Officer at MHI, joins Christine [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":308,"featured_media":13243,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,31,1576],"tags":[1691,1538,50,1521,52,1628],"class_list":["post-13240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-features","category-podcast","tag-association-adviser-podcast","tag-association-trade-shows","tag-events","tag-podcast","tag-trade-shows","tag-trade-shows-and-events"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Podcast: The Secret to an Unforgettable Trade Show - Association Adviser<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What separates a good trade show from a truly unforgettable one? According to industry veteran Daniel McKinnon, CEM, it comes down to one thing: creating lasting value for attendees, exhibitors, and partners alike.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/podcast-the-secret-to-an-unforgettable-trade-show\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Podcast: The Secret to an Unforgettable Trade Show - Association Adviser\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What separates a good trade show from a truly unforgettable one? According to industry veteran Daniel McKinnon, CEM, it comes down to one thing: creating lasting value for attendees, exhibitors, and partners alike.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/podcast-the-secret-to-an-unforgettable-trade-show\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Association Adviser\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-14T13:10:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/AA-Podcast-Season-3-Episode-01.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"523\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tamara Perry-Lunardo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tamara Perry-Lunardo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/podcast-the-secret-to-an-unforgettable-trade-show\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/podcast-the-secret-to-an-unforgettable-trade-show\/\",\"name\":\"Podcast: The Secret to an Unforgettable Trade Show - Association Adviser\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-14T13:10:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-14T13:10:27+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/#\/schema\/person\/871410a86af22ba562f22bcf9d8465f6\"},\"description\":\"What separates a good trade show from a truly unforgettable one? 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