ESSA Senior Leaders Summit challenged event industry leaders to rethink human judgement in an uncertain world
Whittlebury Hall, Northamptonshire: Industry leaders from across the events and exhibition services sector gathered last month at the ESSA Senior Leaders Summit 2026 to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing modern businesses: how to make better decisions in increasingly uncertain conditions.
Built around the theme “The Power of Human Judgement in an Uncertain World”, the summit brought together senior decision-makers for a day of practical leadership insight, honest discussion and future looking thinking. From market pressures and changing exhibitor expectations to leadership values and mergers and acquisitions, the sessions focused on one core idea - in a world full of data, automation and constant change, human judgement remains the true differentiator.
Opening the summit, keynote speaker Carsten Holm, Managing Director at Diversified Communications UK & Europe, delivered a candid “State of the Nation” address examining the current realities shaping the events industry.
His message was clear. Growth is happening, but not evenly.
Visitor attendance continues to rise across many exhibitions, particularly in technology-led sectors, yet exhibitor growth and event footprint expansion remain largely static. Competition is intensifying, margins are tightening and businesses across the sector are increasingly being asked to deliver more value with fewer opportunities for differentiation.
Holm also highlighted a significant shift in attendee expectations. Events are no longer viewed as isolated moments in the calendar. Increasingly, audiences expect year-round engagement and immersive, memorable experiences that go beyond traditional exhibition models.
At the same time, escalating on-site service costs are becoming a growing concern for exhibitors, while sustainability continues to rise rapidly up the agenda, with more than three quarters of exhibitors now factoring environmental impact into their event participation decisions.
Perhaps the most powerful takeaway from the session, however, was not about economics or operational pressures. It was about partnership.
“Our relationships with our contractors is more than price, they are part of our team in which we trust for their quality expertise.”
That sentiment became a recurring theme throughout the day. The future success of the industry will not be built in silos. Organisers, contractors, suppliers and venues increasingly need to operate as collaborative partners rather than transactional stakeholders.
Following the keynote, leadership expert and author Erika Clegg DL challenged attendees to examine the values driving their organisations and whether those values genuinely hold up under pressure. Drawing on concepts from her book ‘Junk Values’, Clegg explored how many businesses unintentionally rely on vague or performative values that look impressive on paper but fail to shape real behaviour when difficult decisions arise.
Instead, she introduced the concept of “stretch values”, values robust enough to guide organisations through uncertainty and high-pressure decision-making.
One of the strongest themes to emerge from the sessions was the distinction between beliefs and values.
Beliefs are easy when circumstances are comfortable. Values, however, reveal themselves during moments of tension, uncertainty and consequence. The summit encouraged leaders to question whether the principles they claim to stand for are genuinely influencing how they lead their businesses, manage teams and make difficult commercial decisions.
Importantly, the day was intentionally designed to move beyond theory.
Interactive workshops, reflective exercises and facilitated discussions encouraged attendees to step away from day-to-day operational pressures and think more critically about leadership behaviours, decision-making processes and team alignment. Some sessions even moved outdoors, giving participants space away from traditional boardroom environments to reflect more openly and honestly.
The afternoon sessions shifted focus towards business growth, mergers and acquisitions, succession planning and investment. Through a candid panel discussion featuring industry leaders and entrepreneurs, attendees explored the emotional realities behind scaling, selling and evolving businesses.
While growth strategies are often discussed in purely commercial terms, the panel highlighted the human side of leadership decisions, including uncertainty, fear of loss of control, personal identity and readiness for change.
The discussion reinforced a critical point - even with the right advisors, financial models and market opportunities, leadership decisions ultimately come down to human judgement.
There is rarely a single “correct” path when it comes to growth, acquisition or succession. What matters most is honesty - both commercially and emotionally - about where a business and its leadership team truly stand.
By the close of the summit, attendees were left not simply with ideas, but with practical frameworks and operational tools they could immediately take back into their organisations.
ESSA CEO Andrew Harrison summarised his thoughts post event,
‘Technology matters. Strategy matters. Data matters. But when uncertainty increases, judgement becomes the defining leadership skill. The ESSA Senior Leaders Summit once again demonstrated the importance of creating dedicated space for industry leaders to step back, challenge assumptions and strengthen the way they think, decide and lead together. ‘
Looking Ahead
ESSA has confirmed plans for the Senior Leaders Summit to return in April 2027. Please register your interest for next year’s event HERE.
