Exclusive Interview; Abilities Expo Revenue Surges 62% Since Raccoon Acquisition

With seven B2C shows across the U.S., Abilities Expo has experienced growth in revenue, exhibitors, and attendee satisfaction since its acquisition by Raccoon Media Group in 2024.

Founded in 1979, the Abilities Expo, a business-to-consumer (B2C) show held in seven major cities across the U.S., has long been a cornerstone for the disability community. Since its acquisition by UK-based Raccoon Media Group in January 2024, the expo has experienced steady growth, with marked increases in revenue, exhibitors, and attendee satisfaction.  

To find out more, we caught up with Katy Roberts, managing director at Raccoon Media Group, who shared insights on the strategies behind the expo's progress so far and their future plans.

Snapshot: Abilities Expo 

Held in seven major cities across the U.S., Abilities Expo attracts more than 30,000 annual attendees who are people with disabilities, caregivers, families, service providers, and industry experts. The events offer critical support, resources, and education. Here’s the calendar of upcoming events. 

Roberts' leadership is clearly paving the way for the Abilities Expo to not only serve as a crucial event for the disability community in the U.S. but also aspire to global expansion. Through a strategic evolution in exhibiting, marketing, and expansion into B2B, the Abilities Expo has set a course to expand its reach and build on its legacy. 

Here are 10 revealing quotes from Roberts about the show, what's new, and what's on the horizon. 

1. Exhibitor Rebooking On-Site. Roberts talked about the significance of introducing an onsite rebook system, which was rolled out first at the New York show in May 2024. "What that's allowed the sales team to do is to go out into the market, have time to look for new customer categories that have previously been quite underserved by the show—just simply, through lack of time of being able to focus on those areas." The result: Rebook exceeded $1.25 million in the first year.  

2. Expansion of Exhibitor Segments. " The show was previously very focused on mobility products,” she explained. “We are trying to focus more on products like adaptive fashion, as well as products for the visually impaired and hearing impaired.  We're also trying to develop more areas for disability-owned businesses." The result: Exhibitor numbers are up by 69% .

3. Influencer and Ambassador Impact. On marketing strategies, she noted, “In terms of attendee growth, the strategy there was really to look at the marketing mix—how we were reaching those attendees. We were previously doing quite a lot with TV commercials and spending quite a bit of budget on that. More recently, we've recut the budget and seen if we could do more in other ways. So we are doing more with influencers and ambassadors—spending a bit more money there. We’ve done more outdoor [advertising].” The result: Attendee numbers climbed 68%. 

4. Effective Marketing Channels. Roberts revealed, "Our text message campaign is one of the most successful things that we do." Despite being unconventional in the UK, the strategy has proven highly effective for engaging U.S. audiences, she said. 

5. Revenue Growth Through Sponsorship. Roberts highlighted the impact of new sponsorship deals, such as one with Visit Fort Lauderdale. “They wanted to spend money with us on each of our shows to be able to promote the accessibility of the greater Fort Lauderdale area in Florida,” she said.  “That meant that we delivered an activation on-site through a sponsored cafe and had their branding everywhere, which isn't really something that's been done before at Abilities.” The result: Sponsorship and exhibition revenue increased by 62%. 

6. Adaptive Fashion at the Forefront. On adaptive fashion, Roberts shared a compelling example about an exhibitor at the recent Chicago show in June.  “If you are paralyzed or have some form of disability, that means you've got limited mobility with your hands. It can make dressing difficult if you've got fasteners and buttons,” she said. The exhibitor “would take existing clothing and adapt them to your requirements, making dressing easier for individuals with limited hand mobility." This innovation underscores the expo's commitment to practical, everyday solutions for its audience. The result: Visitor Satisfaction has increased from an average NPS of 32 to an NPS of 54. 

7. Enhanced Experiential Elements. Roberts detailed new stage content: "The events arena is high-octane with dance, sports, and exercise classes," to complement educational workshops on adaptive living, showcasing the expanding scope of experiences offered. For example, “we have YouTube sensations within the disability community like the Rollettes who are an internationally known wheelchair dance group, some of whom performed at the Paris Paralympics opening ceremony [in 2024].” The result: The event footprint expanded by 62% in total square footage. 

8. Addressing Unique Challenges. When asked about accessibility challenges for producing an event for the disability community, she said: "The bathrooms, 100%." She told us they typically need to bring in additional portable facilities to their host venues to ensure all attendees can enjoy the expo comfortably. 

9. Integrating Diverse Teams for Unified Success. Roberts spoke on merging U.S. and UK teams: " My approach as leading this portfolio was that the U.S. team were experts in their field of putting on shows for the disability community.  I often would say to the UK team, ‘they'll lead the charge, and we might find opportunities, gaps, improvements, and efficiencies, but they've been running these shows really well for the last 12 to 15 years. Let's just make sure that we don't disrupt anything—unless it's for the good of the show and the audience. And it seems to have worked." The result: Exhibitor Satisfaction has increased from an average NPS of 38 to an NPS of 44.