Every year, the event brings together more than 500 international and regional shea industry stakeholders and leading service providers. Participants come from more than 35 countries and all levels of the industry, including CEOs of major corporations, investors, women's groups, exporters, and international brands. Key components of the conference include the plenary sessions, business to business networking, exhibitions, small business trainings and field trips. 

The GSA hosts a conference in Europe to engage international shea stakeholders based in Europe. In 2023 the EU conference took place in Barcelona under the theme 'Future Proofing Shea'

The GSA engages stakeholders on the possibilities of expanding the utilization of shea in food applications. Most years the U.S. conference gathers key actors in the U.S. chocolate and confectionery market. The 2023 U.S conference was held in New York, N.Y. under the theme 'The Future of Shea Sustainability'

The demand for cosmetics is growing in Africa, and manufacturers are responding by creating products made with African ingredients and desirable by global consumers. Every year, the Global Shea Alliance supports small and medium scale companies from Africa to participate in an international cosmetics trade show in order to meet potential new buyers and exporters. The event enables these businesses to establish strategic linkages that drive exports from Africa to the rest of the world. Over the last 6 years, the events have connected over 180 small women-owned cosmetic businesses to 5000+ buyers from around the world, and signed contracts that have resulted in over US$50,000 in value of sales for the companies.