LOS ANGELES — At this year’s Expo! Expo!, some of Trade Show Executive’s (TSE) 2024 Women to Watch shared their exhibitions industry insights — and some of the superpowers that have helped them soar to the top — in the “Women to Watch: Perspectives from Emerging Leaders on the Future of Events” education session.
TSE’s Women to Watch are chosen for their professional achievements, industry impact and business acumen, and are celebrated at the TSE Gold 100 Awards & Summit every year.
April Walsh, TSE’s Vice President of Sponsorship & Engagement, moderated a discussion between Jacqueline Retzer, Director of Event Management at The Toy Association, Ashley Kempson, CMP, DES, Director, Meetings & Convention Operations at the National Automobile Dealers Association, Natalie Santiago, Digital Project Manager at RX, and Amanda Ciccatelli, Senior Director, Marketing, U.S. Events, at HLTH, about their success strategies, advice for young professionals and more.
Key Skills
To kick things off, the panelists shared the attributes that they believe contributed to their success.
Santiago believes that adaptability is an asset to any events professional. “The world is changing constantly [and] our trade show industry is changing constantly, especially in the digital world,” Santiago said. “Whether it’s a platform change, a team change [or] the direction of the business, you need to go with the flow.”
“Never underestimate the value of being easy to work with,” Ciccatelli explained. “That’s something that’s undervalued and there are many people in the world who are challenging to work with and that makes things harder.
“Being someone that isn’t necessarily a yes person but is flexible and can adapt to different personalities and different ways of working can really help you get far in your career and having the empathy to really understand what it’s like to work in someone else’s shoes, and understanding across departments, can really help.”
Retzer added that time management is also key. “No matter what your role is, there are so many things to do and it is so essential to know how to prioritize your tasks first and then manage your time effectively,” Retzer explained.
“My biggest one is probably having a strong grasp on technology,” Kempson said. “That’s helped me out the most in this industry … it puts you in a position above others and we’re only moving towards a more technical society.”
When asked what superpower they would select if given the option, Retzer chose super speed, Kempson chose teleportation, Santiago chose cloning herself and Ciccatelli chose reading minds. While none of the panelists have these fantastical abilities (to our knowledge), their cutting-edge strategies are just as effective.
Innovative Tools
“I like to sign up for as many newsletters as possible,” Santiago said. “I have a ‘to read’ file where I tuck everything in for when I have the time. Social media does play a part too, such as quick videos to see what is going on … [and] hearing different points of views from different people, whether it’s from our customers or other teams, different generations [and] different backgrounds, so we can accommodate and cater to all the different needs across the industry.”
Kempson isn’t afraid to experiment, such as hosting education sessions and a beer garden on the NADA Show floor, and sticks with new features for at least two years before evaluating if they are working or not. “We’re always trying new things and giving it a go for a little bit and then reevaluating,” Kempson said.
Ciccatelli uses strategic brainstorming and A/B testing, while looking at organizations across different industries, to stay cutting-edge, while Retzer visits other shows, utilizes LinkedIn and works with partners.
Keeping Partnerships Effective
When choosing a partner, Kempson considers her organization’s resources in a particular time of year to decide if her team has the bandwidth to accomplish a task. Also, her team views the show’s vendors to be its family and usually leans on them closer to the show. The team frequently analyzes the show’s partnerships after every edition, however, making sure that they are working with the best vendor possible.
Santiago added that it is important to think about how a prospective partner would work with one’s organization and fit culturally.
“In marketing specifically, we have media partners [and] we have marketing partners … it works really well for marketing, because it gets our brand and messaging into other social media feeds, other emails, and audience segments that we need,” Ciccatelli said. “We think about it strategically… ‘Who do we need to partner with to get into more of their daily inboxes and feeds?’”
“We do always look internally first,” Retzer explained. “As an association, we RFP for a lot. It’s how we’re driven. We’re very by-the-budget and we have to show our board the different partners that we’re looking at before we sign on with any new company. For the RFP, you want to make sure that you’re checking all the boxes and they can fulfill the needs, but then the in-person meeting is so important to check the vibes. We also call a lot of references and want to hear about shows that they are already working with.”
Related. Meet the 2024 Women to Watch
Professional Development
Hiring and retaining talent was a major industry priority in 2024, and is likely to be important next year as well.
Santiago shared that RX has an internship program, a business development team that visits the organization’s shows and sessions bringing together employees of different levels, including career speed-mapping events. In one, early in her career, Santiago met her current supervisor and became interested in project management, which is what she currently works in at RX.
“This was early on in my career, when I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing, and I met with so many people and they exposed me to so many different areas of the business and the different options that are available,” Santiago said. “Just having programs that bring people together and connect the dots … is key.”
Ciccatelli added that HLTH has an internship program as well and Retzer explained that Toy Fair has a Student Congress, where students can visit the show, and get inspired, for free.
For retaining employees, Kempson suggested advocating for them and rewarding hard work.
“We’re in the office four days a week, which is very challenging comparatively to other associations in the area and we’ve all had to work really hard about retaining employees,” Kempson said. “It’s so important for employees to know that they are valued and have a place there. I’m constantly advocating for my staff to get promotions, raises and bonuses so that their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.
“We try to have as much fun as possible at the office … every Thursday, we have a ‘True Crime Thursday’ where we listen to a podcast leading up and then we get together, eat our lunch and talk about unsolved cases, and what we think happened.”
Ciccatelli agreed about the importance of fun and shared that her team uses dedicated Slack channels to stay connected, even with hybrid schedules.
Advice to Younger Selves
When asked what they would tell their younger selves, the panelists offered this advice:
Santiago: “I would say to just be a little more kind to myself in the beginning. The industry is always changing, and you always have to adapt to change, and there are bumps in the road. Just give yourself a little bit of grace, being kind to yourself and being your best friend. Just keep learning and being open to everything new, take it all in and enjoy the ride.”
Retzer: “I would tell myself to not be as timid as I was when I walked into the industry. I was a young professional and it just seemed like everyone had been doing this for forever … what I’ve learned is that everyone’s so welcoming and happy to answer questions. I wish I spoke out a little more and I would’ve learned things quicker and made more friends from the beginning. Just be as outgoing as you can push yourself to be.”
Kempson: “I wish that I had given myself a little more grace and allowed myself to enjoy the moment more and not worry about ‘what’s happening next and what I need to be working on professionally.’ … enjoy where you’re at and really sink into it.”
Ciccatelli: “Don’t be afraid to use your voice … I probably felt, and still feel, imposter syndrome, in a lot of ways, and I think fighting that, and finding your confidence to speak up in meetings, coming up with new ideas and talking to leadership … can take you a long way.”
Find Santiago’s full Women to Watch Q&A here, Retzer’s here, Kempson’s here and Ciccatelli’s here.
