Coming soon: Abilities Expo fills gap in education

GUILFORD, England – The Abilities Expo, a series of annual shows for people with disabilities and their families, will expand to include content for clinicians, providers and manufacturers in three of seven cities in 2026. 

The show, which was bought by U.K.-based Raccoon Media Group in early 2024, will include three new “content streams” in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York: 1) CEU-accredited sessions; 2) interactive forums with a business focus, including regulatory compliance; and 3) market access programs for international businesses looking to expand into the U.S. 

“Right now, we have a small percentage of visitors who are OTs and PTs – 10% to 20% - and the message from exhibitors has been, we’d like to see more of that audience, because those groups are a key part of the ecosystem delivering the best care and equipment to patients,” said Katy Roberts, managing director at Raccoon Media Group. “Our shows are all about bringing the disability community together.” 

The Abilities Exo will still host shows in Houston, Dallas, Phoenix and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in their original format. “Our regional shows will still get a lot of love,” Roberts said.  

To pull off the expansion, the Abilities Expo will be supported by several industry organizations, including U.S. Rehab, a division of VGM & Associates that offers ATP prep and recertification training and tech training. Tyler Mahncke, senior vice president of clinical mobility and accessibility for VGM, says the expanded shows will fill a gap in the market now that RESNA no longer hosts an annual conference, and the International Seating Symposium no longer hosts an event in Vancouver. 

“Everyone in the West who doesn’t want to travel to Pittsburgh for ISS misses out,” he said. “Especially for the LA show, this will be a great opportunity for them.” 

In addition to U.S. Rehab, the Abilities Expo has also received confirmation of educational support from ISS and NCART, and at press time, it also expected support from RESNA, The Clinician Task Force, iNRRTS and NMEDA. 

“The reaction in the industry has been incredibly positive,” Roberts said. “ISS will act as an anchor providing CEU content – almost like a mini-version of what they do in Pittsburgh – with several other important membership organizations hosting different tracks. The content is looking very robust.”  

In addition to expanding its target audience, Raccoon Media is making other investments in the Abilities Expo, including securing more high-profile speakers and updating staging and branding, leaning on its experience in other business-to-consumer and business-to-business events in other markets like running, cycling and outdoor recreation. 

“We’re really not going into this half-heartedly,” Roberts said. “We’re committed.”