One to Watch: Trade Show Trailblazer Mary Larkin, President, U.S., Nineteen GroupOne to Watch: Trade Show Trailblazer Mary Larkin, President, U.S., Nineteen Group
In this exclusive interview, trade show pioneer Mary Larkin shares her 30-year career journey, showcasing her historic leadership as UFI's first female president, her passion for women's advocacy and strategic risk-taking, and insights on the evolving factors reshaping the exhibitions industry.
August 8, 2025
As the saying goes, “Life is what happens when you’re making plans.” Trade show industry veteran Mary Larkin can certainly relate to that phrase. After leaving her home country of Ireland for what she thought was an 18-month stint of working and traveling around the U.S., Larkin landed a sales role in Portland, Maine that would evolve into a 30-year career in the events and media industry that has taken her across the globe, earning her millions of air miles and myriad opportunities working with countless trade shows and thousands of people across multiple industries.
Her impressive career trajectory includes an array of leadership positions at Diversified, as well as making history in 2020 as the first female president of UFI, the Global Association for the Exhibition Industry, where this passionate advocate championed women’s initiatives. She also established the Women’s Leadership Program for the Society of Independent Show Organizer (SISO). An active member of the events community, Larken has served as chair of SISO and as the UFI representative on the board of the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA).
In 2023, she became CEO Americas for the Arc network, a media and events business backed by EagleTree Capital, then in January of this year, joined UK-based Nineteen Group as president of Americas, tasked with building and shaping the B2B events and media company’s new division.
“It is exciting to build something from the ground up, bring our very strong UK brands stateside, and establish a new team who are building the business from the beginning,” Larkin said. “I was attracted to Nineteen’s culture, their ‘walk the talk’ philosophy, genuine care for their staff and the fact that they clearly love their events and customers. There is an enthusiasm and very collaborative atmosphere at Nineteen and I look forward to building and being a part of that type of environment.”
In a wide-ranging conversation with TSNN, Larkin discusses the exhibition industry’s progress in women’s leadership equity, her calculated risk-taking approach, the evolving customer expectations reshaping trade shows, and how industry professionals can prepare for the coming transformation.
As the first woman elected President of UFI in 2020, how did this distinction impact your leadership approach, and what lasting initiatives for women’s advancement were you able to implement during your tenure?
It was an extremely exciting kickoff to my UFI presidency in Bangkok in late 2019. Of course, COVID hit in March, and we had to get into high gear, firstly trying to keep the industry open and then supporting where we could once the events industry had effectively shut down. The UFI team led by Managing Director Kai Hattendorf and Sonia COO Thomas at the time, worked tirelessly to provide data, support, problem-solve, and collaborate. While it was a tough time for everyone, the industry came together like never before. I learned a lot about resilience, collaboration at the highest levels, the information channels, and working with the UFI Executive Committee and board was a highlight. I’ve met more people over Zoom than I would have in person. I was honored to be awarded the Medal of Honour from UFI for the work we did during COVID.
Mary with the UFI team in Bangkok.
Women’s leadership was a focus of my presidency, and one thing stood out to me: during the pandemic, women who received little support to attend women’s leadership events from their organizations were able to reach out through online groups to get that support. And they did! I also encouraged more women to run for board seats, appointed some women to the board, and did what I could to increase visibility for women’s leadership. Reflecting, I often said it wasn’t about the first female president, but when we started to have the third and fourth and became more the norm, well in 2026, we will have our third female president with Panittha Buri after Monica Lee-Mueller in 2022, so I do think we have made progress.
You’ve mentioned that “women network differently than men.” Could you elaborate on these differences and how they might be leveraged as strengths rather than barriers in the trade show industry?
Throughout my career, I have witnessed men networking up and women nurturing down. There is so much research that shows women focus more on their teams, believing their work will speak for itself while men are networking with senior leadership or the CEO at every chance. What that does is leave women invisible to senior management when they are succession planning as an example. The CEO does not know the female leaders on the team the same way he knows the male leaders. Men will also take a greater chance at negotiating and advocating for themselves than women. Of course, bias plays a role too, but I encourage women to start advocating for themselves. Women Don’t Ask by Linda Babcock is a terrific book on this topic.
Throughout your career, you’ve described yourself as a “big-picture thinker and a decisive yet balanced risk-taker.” Could you share how this approach led to a significant business breakthrough?
When opportunities arise, I tend to leap to the high-level vision first rather than get caught up in why something shouldn’t happen. I then work through the steps to validate or adjust the vision. I do think I am a calculated risk-taker and there are many examples throughout my career where we did take risks whether moving events, launching in new markets, working with new partners, taking a chance on a vision for an event and many more. Many work out better than expected and some needed tweaking along the way but you make the best decision you can, with the information you have at the time. Not making a decision can be the worst risk of all, never mind being a hindrance to employees.
Mary with COO, Americas Justin Childs at Nineteen Group’s new U.S. office in Boston.
Having worked across various sectors and geographies for three decades, what do you see as the most significant transformation in the trade show industry, and how should professionals be preparing for the next evolution?
As an industry, we’re in the midst of one of the most significant transformations, perhaps since the pandemic, with a shift in customer expectations. The days of simply contracting a 10x10 booth or raw space are over. They want curated, high-quality audiences, meaningful interactions, and a tangible return on their investment.
We’re seeing formats evolve quickly; shorter sessions, more interactive experiences, smarter matchmaking, and content tailored to how people consume information today. As we evaluate new businesses and event opportunities, we’re prioritizing those that offer strong networking, hands-on problem-solving, and niche, high-value communities that complement our existing verticals.
There’s also a growing awareness of how different people experience events. For example, introverted attendees or those with sensory sensitivities can find the show floor overwhelming. We need to design environments that consider all attendees—quieter spaces, better acoustics, and thoughtful layouts can make a world of difference. One thing I try to do regularly is attend events as an attendee myself because it gives you a very different perspective on what truly works.
With your extensive travel schedule across different countries and events, what’s your most indispensable travel hack?
I wouldn’t call it a glamorous travel hack but…being prepared. I live by my packing list, originally built when I was traveling to Brussels for weeks at a time for seafood shows. I pack light, always aim for carry-on only, and stick with one airline so that carry-on comes with me. I’m generally aware of my back-up options because delays certainly happen.
