Freeman Chief Strategist Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes will present a session at the upcoming Large Show Roundtable. Registration can be found on the Lippman Connects website and details are below.
November 6, 2025
8:00am – 4:30pm
Hyatt Regency McCormick Place
Chicago, IL
Scaling the Attendee Journey: Making Big Shows Feel Personal
As an organizer of a large trade show, you know that success isn’t defined solely by square footage or registration numbers – it’s also measured by how each attendee experiences the journey. The challenge: how do you make a 250,000+ nsf event feel tailored, relevant and engaging at the individual level? In this session, Kimberly Hardcastle, Chief Strategist, mdg, will explore ways to design attendee journeys that start long before opening day and extend long after the show floor closes. We’ll examine how large-event organizers can harness data to personalize outreach, reduce friction at critical touchpoints and deliver moments of connection that make big shows feel intimate. You’ll leave with practical ideas for turning scale into an advantage and ensuring attendees walk away feeling seen, valued and inspired to return.
Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes
As Chief Strategist, Kimberly drives participation, elevates experiences and future-proofs events for Freeman clients. With a Master of Science in business administration, over two decades of industry experience and a unique ability to shift between analytical and creative thinking, she brings both discipline and imagination to solving complex challenges. Her expertise in event marketing, strategic planning, tactical execution and organizational design was shaped during her 24-year tenure at mdg, the agency she helped build before eventually selling to Freeman. Kimberly is a CEM faculty member, a Krakoff Leadership Institute alumna and has been named by IAEE as an Educator of the Year and a Woman of Achievement. She has a monthly column in PCMA’s Convene magazine and is a frequent presenter at SISO, PCMA Convening Leaders, Expo! Expo! and Lippman Connects events. She’s also the mom of a TCU Horned Frog, wife of a retired Navy pilot, Peloton addict, reader, runner and believer in civil rights.
