"MATSO provides me with an opportunity to plug directly into an unbelievable network of colleagues. It's the ultimate peer group for anyone running a large show."

Chris Brown
National Association of Broadcasters

Currently, MATSO membership consists of 30 member organizations that produce and manage 52 of the largest trade shows in North America — both association-owned and for-profit. Our members include 25 of the top 50 shows included in the Tradeshow Week 200. On average, members' shows occupy more than 29 million net square feet of exhibit space and bring together more than 1.3 million buyers in 11 cities. The combined revenues generated by MATSO trade show exhibit space alone exceed one-half billion dollars annually.

The founding of MATSO dates back to 1985. MATSO was originally chartered in Chicago as a means of formalizing dialogue among the city's major trade show producers. Over the years, these exchanges focused on operational challenges particularly relevant to events of scale and complexity.

But MATSO's organizers envisioned broadening its geographical reach beyond Chicago and expanding its internal focus from solely operations to include all functional aspects of large show production: marketing and sales, legislation, labor, international challenges, and operations.

Common interests and common challenges, in a competition-free environment. That was the MATSO vision. And its founders wanted to create a collective voice reflecting the unique perspective of the producers of large, industry-leading events.

Over the years, MATSO has expanded in both size and focus. The scope of MATSO's activities has grown from operational to broader show management issues and challenges that include marketing and communications, international factors, labor relations, federal legislation, security, and more.

• Mirroring the Chicago model, City Task Forces have been established for five major trade show cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, and Orlando. This structure enables members to come together and address problems and opportunities specific to the location of their events.


• Development of Best Practices unique to large shows are developed and honed by the membership on a scale not present elsewhere.


• Through their task force affiliations, MATSO members enjoy a constant flow of first-cut information from major convention centers and host cities.


• At MATSO's semiannual meetings, members come together to share solutions and delve deeply into time-sensitive issues of greatest importance in the industry.

What Drives Us? The fundamentals that drive MATSO today go far to bolster the success of its members and the exposition industry alike:

• Central to MATSO's culture is ensuring a wide-open exchange of ideas and solutions in a competition-free environment based on a foundation of confidentiality and trust. The result is a depth of understanding among members; strong professional and personal relationships are forged;


• Among the most important benefits of MATSO membership is simply the interaction that occurs between the professionals who routinely confront audience, exhibit, conference, international, media, and branding issues on a scale not present in smaller events;


• MATSO creates a forum to support in-depth problem-solving as a group, addressing large-scale challenges that threaten the stability of the industry. Where appropriate, the organization moves to implement resulting plans of action with surprising agility and effectiveness;


• MATSO fosters ongoing dialog in establishing meaningful Best Practices for large events, resulting in a greater level of both integrity and success among MATSO members' shows;


• MATSO has become a collective voice that can influence the industry marketplace for the betterment of large-event producers;


• MATSO's environment provides a unique platform for dialog; and


• MATSO is committed to perpetuating a non-commercial environment to allow for optimum information exchange and member camaraderie. Nothing is permitted that could compromise MATSO's integrity of purpose. No public sponsors. No commercial vendors. The organization is financed by its member dues alone, and its activities are augmented by the contribution of time and energy of its members.

MATSO gets heard. Included in its mandate is constructive interface with key industry organizations, such as IAEM and SISO, so our influence is felt industry-wide.

• The huge events produced by MATSO members materially impact the positive evolution of the trade show industry's Best Practices.


• The collective economic impact on cities in which MATSO members' events take place is second to none. Likewise, the industries represented by members' shows experience direct and sizable impact.


• Because of its select membership, MATSO maintains its agility in dealing with sudden, critical industry issues and eliminates hindrances found in larger, more bureaucratic organizations.

MATSO's vision for the future encompasses enhanced industry-wide visibility and influence. The formidable challenges that confront the exposition industry in the 21st century make increased interaction among large show producers more crucial than ever before.

As we move forward in a world of increased economic uncertainty and tightened security, MATSO's role takes on an ever-increasing urgency. The bar must be raised on setting new industry standards supported by research, data analysis, and modeling, so that large shows can respond to unexpected challenges quickly and effectively.

An Active Voice within the Industry. MATSO will continue to seek opportunities to represent the views of its members both within the exposition industry and in the wider business community.

An Active Force with Destinations and Industry Suppliers. Through its City Task Forces (Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, and Orlando), MATSO serves as a conduit of current information and a source of influence with top convention destinations. What's more, its ongoing dialog with industry suppliers helps accommodate the unique and complex needs of large shows.

Large Show Best Practices, more often than not, are developed and honed by those who routinely deal with the most pressing issues in operations, sales, marketing, branding issues, the international environment, media, and labor relations — all on a scale not present in smaller shows. MATSO provides the year-round interaction that enables members to share these ideas and practices with other professionals facing similar challenges.


Click here for information about MATSO membership.