Pivots And Reboots Don’t Always Work, But DSE’s New Format And Location Seems A Hit With Industry
November 10, 2025 by Dave Haynes
The re-imagined take on Digital Signage Experience went off a little while back in San Diego, and what I have both read and heard directly was that it was a much-welcomed pivot that went off quite well.
That’s good news, as the long-running event known for years as Digital Signage Expo was pretty much swirling the drain as a standalone exposition, aka trade show. The E in DSE was switched to Experience when the organizers of the original version went out of business and the events firm Questex picked up the assets in 2021. It rebooted the event in late 2022, still in Las Vegas and still positioned more as a trade show. The three years of that event, in that format, would most kindly be described as intimate, with a few dozen exhibit stands, many of them not much more than draped tables.
The show ran in parallel to another, much bigger Questex-owned show called LDI – which is also pro AV, but focused on the very different sector of live events. Think sync’d lighting, big audio and fog machines. There was some spillover with people from each show drifting into the other one, but I’m not sure that was much of a thing. When the shows were run side by side, with a portal between the halls, you’d go from a quiet, well-lit hall to a darkened nightclub that was very much about sensory overload.
So I was pleased to hear from the Questex folks last fall, during the 2024 DSE in Vegas, that the format was going to change, as well as the location, for 2025. They were going to adopt a format similar to what’s done very effectively each spring in Munich, Germany – the Digital Signage Summit Europe. That event is MUCH more about education and networking, and while there is a trade show component, it’s more of a complementary thing, as opposed to the reason people go.
The magic of it, at least to me, is bringing people in to one location where most people will sleep, eat, drink and mingle – as opposed to a business meetings facility that people go to by day, and then scatter in 100 directions at night.
At the Munich event, CEOs who have 30 seconds to chat at something like ISE have time at the bar in the evening to sit and have a chat over a drink (or drinks). The location is handy because it is right at the airport – a short walk from arrivals – and because it is too far out for most people to say, “Hey, let’s go into Munich for some weisse beer and schweinebraten!” So 400-500 industry people are all there for a couple of days, which makes for fabulously efficient networking and partner meet-ups.
I did not go to San Diego because of my self-imposed blackout on U.S. travel. Trump’s repeated 51st state musings just piss me off … so like millions of Canadians who would normally travel south for pleasure or business, I’ve stopped. I fully respect my fellow citizens who do still go down if their work necessitates that, but I’m not in that cohort anymore. Love the US and have tons of friends below the border, but this is a little stand I can take. I also can’t/won’t buy California cabs or bourbon at the moment, which makes me sad. But Malbecs and Canadian rye somehow get me through.
Not being there means, obviously, that my observations are from afar. But the feedback and comments have almost all been quite good. The event attracted exactly 400 people, which seems weird but is a verified number.
Show director David Drain told me via email (this piece was delayed by my post DSE emails going into his junk folder) that Questex has tabulated the attendee surveys and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. “Attendees told us that they loved the networking opportunities as well as the location and format. Our event logistics and app also received high marks. It was noted that there was quality over quantity in terms of attendance.”
It is no surprise that people were very happy to not go to Las Vegas yet again. I’ve been 45 times, I think, and it stopped being interesting about 45 minutes into my first visit back in 2001. I don’t gamble, so the appeal is super-limited … other than seeing industry friends.
The rebooted DSE was on the San Diego waterfront at a high-end resort hotel, and there were options like golf. Even morning yoga sessions. I was reliably told by a foodie, who used to own a restaurant, that the food was really good. Which probably should not be a surprise for Southern California.
The new format was conference and networking, with a small trade show. And that was a banquet room with simple exhibits – very reminiscent of the sort of thing you see with road shows put on by the big distribution companies. Quick and easy set-ups, much lower cost and probably little to none of the BS that comes with big convention facilities and the service providers who seemed to have adopted their business principles from watching The Sopranos.
The reviews I saw suggested the keynotes and many of the education sessions – presentations and panels – were quite good. I heard some presentations were dreadful, but that can owe a lot to the people given speaker slots. Some people are born to be in front of business crowds. Others should never be handed microphones. Sometimes you don’t find out who fits what description until the lights go down. You can curate topics and projects. But when a super-interesting project is attached to people too nervous to be in front of a crowd, or perhaps calm but oblivious to how reading what’s on a presentation screen does not make for a compelling 30 minutes.
Drain says they are noodling whether to add breakout education sessions next year. “We had a single session room, which made it convenient and ensured no one had to miss a session, but we are considering whether to bring back some breakout sessions so that we might have sessions aimed at beginners and others for advanced.”
I heard the networking was very good, again owing to how people were hived in one location day and evening.
The one kinda sorta negative I read was from another guy who has been in the industry for ages, who couldn’t make it for scheduling reasons. While education and networking are great, he’d like to see a model adopted that put together buyers and sellers. Events like ShopTalk and NextPoint do something akin to speed-dating, with vendors paying for access to tight one-to-one meetings with interested end-users. The caveat for that sort of thing is that the meetings need to be targeted and the end-user pre-qualified.
Years ago, the original DSE people did some getaway events at resort settings (I spoke at one), and brought in end-users who agreed to sit through speed-dating in return for a free trip. Some of those quick 1:1s were productive, but I was amused as hell watching a guy who designed high-end women’s apparel stores having to sit through sessions with sales people showing off flat panel mounting systems and slot-loaded PCs. He looked like he was trying to figure out some way to get his phone to magically ring, with a call he …I’m SO sorry … absolutely had to take.
Drain says that was already happening in San Diego, and the plan is to build on it for 2026. “Some sponsorship packages had 1:1 meetings built in,” Drain explains. “For those sponsors where the meetings weren’t built in, we offered curated meetings for a fee. We offered end-users and integrators the opportunity to apply to be part of the program. If they were deemed qualified, they agreed to a certain amount of meetings with sponsors.”
While the location was, by all accounts, lovely, San Diego is as far from the heavily-populated US northeast as is possible. So doing DSE there every year might be a barrier to growth, if some potential attendees don’t want to commit to two full days of travel, plus the event.
The plan is to have it there again, but I think it would be great if it moved around. It kind of needs to be in something of a resort setting, where the weather is still nice in late October. Nashville would be awesome but there’s no way the attendees are sticking around for a mixer at the hotel, when the live music bars are rocking just steps away. Chicago in October might be great for weather, but might not. A lot of resorts on the east side of the US aren’t necessarily near hub airports. So I dunno what works better or best.
Halifax, Nova Scotia is lovely in October 🙂
Overall, it was clear something needed to change with DSE, and it did. And it’s better. Yay!
Maybe things in DC will be a little more sane next fall and I can go again. Hope so. I love my industry and America in general. But you know who … not so much.
Excellent post Dave, spot on and the mention of the Soprano like tactics at major convention centers has made us shy away from events held there. I believe if the cost of attendance was lower, we would see a lot more attendees and the show would regain its former attraction as THE PLACE to meet, greet and learn about our amazing industry.
Thanks for this post Dave. While your presence was greatly missed, I think you captured the sentiment. I made it a point to ask everyone I spoke with what they thought about the new format and, like you, it was overwhelmingly positive. Personally, I was able to make several great connections with folks I knew as well as some new faces. I agree the program was a bit mixed but there were some excellent sessions that more than made up for any duds. Here’s hoping the US can get our act together and welcome you next year (as well as restock your favorite water hole with your favorite libations.) :>)
Cheers to that!