CHICAGO — A typical day in the events industry can look different for every professional, whether it is working on a show floor in Las Vegas, an office in Chicago or remotely at home.
No matter what one’s schedule looks like, though, professionalism is key in every work environment and can help people succeed in their roles, stand out and find new opportunities.
Trade Show Executive (TSE) explored professionalism with Meghan Hurley, Director, Human Resources U.S. and RX Reward Partner at RX.
ANDREW: Is professionalism different in the world of events when compared to other industries?
MEGHAN: It’s a bit different — the work that we do requires us to travel to these fun places, and when people come into the business and are immediately sent somewhere like Vegas, it sometimes is hard to remember that you are still an employee.
You’re at work during the day, and you’re also interacting with your colleagues and customers after hours too. It’s a bit different than other industries in that way, because you really have to focus on composure and professionalism on-site as well as in a more fun environment after hours.
You get to come into the business and go to these really fun places … but you also have to remember that it’s still work.
ANDREW: Have you noticed any common misconceptions that young people in the events industry have about professionalism?
MEGHAN: Young professionals tend to have a more casual attitude. When it comes to the workplace, more so than their tenured counterparts, they really prioritize flexibility [and] work life balance, which is great … but then not being able to move into a more urgent or fast-paced mindset when it’s needed can lead to misconceptions around their engagement or work ethics.
ANDREW: Do you know any warning signs that indicate it is time to make a readjustment, and what should one do if they are asked to be more professional?
MEGHAN: You really have to be observant and self-aware. Pay attention to how you’re being treated by your manager … take the feedback that they give you and take it to heart.
It’s needing to read the room and pivot out of your comfort zone if you need to manage those expectations and get into a different mindset that works for the business … Don’t just be like “oh, well, this is who I am.” It’s more of a flexibility thing.
ANDREW: What are some quick steps that people can take to improve professionally?
MEGHAN: For those that are looking for a job … it’s important to keep a positive mindset through the whole process. Interviewing is hard, and nobody wants to go through all of that, but something like following up thanking the people that they’ve met with for their time in an interview — it seems so basic, but it’s a dying art form.
If writing isn’t your forte, have somebody else proofread everything that you send out or help you write it. The trade show industry is really small and connected, and be aware of how you’re conducting yourself through the whole process.
For those who are employed already … take advantage of networking [and] mentorship opportunities inside the company and out. Talk to your managers or leaders about what their preferred working styles are — “what are your communication preferences? What are your pet peeves?”
Every team and manager is going to be different and they probably have different expectations too based on their own working styles. This is something that you can do as quickly as you’re on-boarding, the day that you meet with your manager. Get these things out there so you know how you can work with them better and it will help your working relationship and help you get to the next level.
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ANDREW: Are there any long-term professionalism goals that people new to the events industry should have?
MEGHAN: When you think of professionalism, it doesn’t have to mean serious, rigid or wearing a three-piece suit to work every day.
It’s how you conduct yourself. It’s being responsible, acting with integrity, accountability and, in the workplace, it’s really important to find those people that really embody these professional traits and really strive towards them.
Watch how they behave every day … how they behave under pressure [and] how they conduct themselves. Figure out how you can model those behaviors.
ANDREW: What advice would you give a young professional who is entering the workforce?
MEGHAN: Entry-level jobs aren’t always going to be glitz and glamour, but you have to really embrace the position at hand … it’s about the connections that you make. You can develop people skills in these jobs.
It might feel like mundane work or repetitive, and it might not be what you’ve felt like you wanted to do, but keep a good attitude about it, learn as much as you can and try to network within the organization … that’s really going to help you find what you like and dislike, and then you can carve your path ahead.
Just be patient — job progression and growth come at different speeds in different companies and different organizations. It might be laid out for you in a path, and it might not be.
The more you go beyond your day-to-day, take initiative and have a positive attitude — that’s what’s going to set you out from the crowd.
ANDREW: What challenges have you observed young professionals encountering, and how were they resolved or avoided?
MEGHAN: In this industry, we see a lot of burnout. You come in, and you’re just cranking out work. On a show site, we know that it’s really intense and we need people to be communicative about this.
If it’s creeping up on you, [and] you feel like you’re coming up on getting burned out, the only way to change that is to talk to your team and talk to your manager.
Speak up and find a solution … otherwise, if we don’t talk about it, then it’s just going to continue and it’s not going to improve.
I would say, especially for young people coming in, to make sure that they’re very vocal about it to get the help that they need to manage their days … and try not to get into that burnout area.
Be open with your workload and any things you might be struggling with, because if you’re spinning your wheels on something that you know could take somebody else two seconds to do because they just have more skills or knowledge, you can, one, feel better about getting it done faster and, two, learn from them so that it can improve your ability to do the job the next time around.
ANDREW: How did the pandemic impact professionalism and are you still seeing its effects today?
MEGHAN: It impacted the industry a lot … many of our entry-level jobs are being filled by post-grads who might have spent a majority of their college experience virtually … because of this, they’re not as comfortable working in-person as they are in the comfort of their own homes behind a screen.
They might be more hesitant to get involved or go to events, but it’s really important for them to stretch themselves and make these connections because it’s these personal connections that are going to help move their career forward just as much as their skills and education will.
Now a lot of the workforce is coming back to working in the office regularly, and I can see that it’s a real struggle because it’s just not what they’ve been used to. It’s something that they’re really going to have to focus on more as we change more back to this in-person environment.
ANDREW: Does professionalism look different when one is working remotely and when one is working in the office?
MEGHAN: A little extra effort is needed when working remotely just to demonstrate engagement.
If you’re remote and everybody’s on the same call for a team meeting, you may need to push yourself to speak up more, to ask questions [and] to volunteer for those takeaway actions, because it’s easier to get lost in the shuffle if you’re just sitting there and not being vocal.
I know that it’s hard to speak up on a call where you can see 10 to 15 thumbnails of people’s faces on the screen … [but] it’s definitely an extra effort that is needed.
ANDREW: What do you predict about the future of professionalism in the events industry?
MEGHAN: Professionalism, both inside the workplace and out of it, is never going to go out of style, but at our events there’s this huge focus on the next generation of eventgoers.
I think that the content and the opportunities that are going to be offered within this industry are only going to increase, and we’ve seen a lot of communities of young professionals forming in our events. We know that this group is going to be hugely impactful in the future and we really need to nurture these communities and relationships so we have a strong understanding of their values.
You can find more Q&As with industry leaders, resource rundowns and hot topics at TSE’s Young Professionals Corner.
