CHICAGO — In 2023, Kamira Felton was named a Trade Show Executive (TSE) Trailblazer for her excellence in trade show marketing, recognizing her impact as a Marketing Manager at Questex and innovative contributions.
Since that time, her role has expanded to include strategic partnerships and third-party management, and she continues to experiment with new ways of reaching audiences. TSE checked in with Felton to find out more about what she’s been up to since 2023, where she sees event marketing heading and how cross-department collaboration is necessary for success.
MADDY: You were named a TSE Trailblazer in 2023. Can you tell us a bit about what you were working on at the time that led to your nomination?
KAMIRA: In 2023, I had just been promoted from Marketing Coordinator to Marketing Manager for International Beauty Show (IBS) New York and Las Vegas. I was working on more than one event in our portfolio and my manager at the time recognized the energy and passion I held for our beauty show. The promotion came at a pivotal time when I was beginning to take ownership of larger initiatives. Being recognized as a TSE Trailblazer validated that the industry was ready for new approaches to event marketing.
MADDY: How has your role evolved since joining Questex, and what skills have become most essential as you’ve taken on more responsibilities?
KAMIRA: I joined Questex in 2022 as a Marketing Coordinator, and the evolution has been significant. My focus has expanded well beyond IBS New York and Las Vegas to encompass our entire events portfolio, with a particular emphasis on strategic partnerships and third-party management. The skills that have become most essential are relationship-building and the ability to think more holistically about our events. Managing partnerships requires me to understand not just our events’ value, but how to create mutually beneficial relationships that amplify reach and credibility.
MADDY: What’s the core marketing philosophy that guides your approach to promoting your events and engaging audiences?
KAMIRA: My marketing philosophy is progress over perfection. I believe in trying new ideas and learning from every outcome. The events industry is constantly evolving, and what worked last year or even last month might not resonate today. Not every campaign will be a home run, but each one teaches me something about our audience. This approach has made me more resilient and creative. I’d rather experiment with a new partnership or messaging approach and learn from it than stick with safe, predictable actions that don’t move the needle. It’s about being willing to try something new or different and not being afraid to pivot when something isn’t working.
MADDY: I would think that beauty audiences could be trend-driven; what are some of the changes you’ve seen in attendee behavior since you started, and how does that influence your marketing strategy?
KAMIRA: Beauty professionals are incredibly trend-aware, but what’s shifted is the speed and source of those trends. I’ve seen attendees become much more selective about which events they attend. They’re looking for immediate takeaways and experiences they can’t get online. Social media has also changed the game. Attendees want Instagram-worthy moments and opportunities to create their own content at our shows. With so much knowledge being offered on social media, attendees also want to learn insights they can’t get online. This influences our marketing by pushing us to showcase not just education and exhibitors, but the show floor experience elements and community aspects that make in-person attendance irreplaceable.
MADDY: What do you see as the biggest event marketing trends shaping 2026, and how is Questex adapting to those to stay ahead?
KAMIRA: As we look ahead to 2026, one of the most influential trends in event marketing is the shift toward working smarter, not just faster. The industry is moving beyond using technology as a support tool and more towards using AI more intentionally to enhance decision making at every stage of the event lifecycle. For us, that means using AI to simplify and streamline day-to-day operations. Everything from campaign tracking and performance measurement to understanding attendee behavior on a deeper level. By analyzing engagement patterns, registration data and onsite interactions, we’re able to identify what truly resonates with our audiences and adjust strategies in real time rather than relying only on post-event analysis.
MADDY: Beauty professionals, and really all event-goers, expect inspiration and business value at events. How do you balance education, trend content and community-building in your marketing campaigns?
KAMIRA: Event attendees don’t attend just for information anymore. In our campaigns, we lead with inspiration to capture attention, then deliver the value of education to justify the investment, and finally weave community touchpoints or experiences throughout to create lasting engagement. Ultimately, the balance isn’t about giving equal weight to each topic. It’s about aligning them in a way that makes your attendees feel this event will make them smarter and more connected than the person who doesn’t attend.
MADDY: Which recent campaign or initiative within your portfolio are you most proud of, and what measurable impact did it have on event performance?
KAMIRA: I’m incredibly proud of my work on the Powerhouse Pavilion at IBS New York and Las Vegas. This initiative brought together emerging and influential Black-owned brands in a dedicated showcase that created a destination within the destination. From the panel discussions to the companies that participated, it allowed us to tell a story about innovation and history that resonated with both attendees and exhibitors.
MADDY: How are you using data, segmentation or personalization to better reach exhibitors and attendees? What results have you seen so far?
KAMIRA: We’ve moved away from one-size-fits-all campaigns toward audience segmentation based on professional roles, interests and past behavior. For example, salon owners receive different messaging than independent stylists. We’re also using data from previous events to personalize outreach. For example, if someone attended education on a specific topic, we can market related content for the next show. Or if someone registered by a certain time, we can send them a reminder that they registered this time last year. The results we’re seeing are higher email engagement rates and more qualified registrations.
MADDY: Event success is cross-departmental. How do you collaborate with sales, content and operations teams to ensure campaigns land and the portfolio is strong?
KAMIRA: My role in acquiring partnerships is making sure they work for everyone, including our internal teams, our partners themselves, and most importantly, our attendees. That only happens when there’s consistent communication across departments.
With Sales, we have an open line of communication where they flag companies that might be better suited as exhibitors or sponsors rather than partners. This helps us maintain integrity in our partnerships and ensures we’re delivering true value to our attendees.
With Content, I work to ensure that what they’re publishing on AmericanSalon.com and AmericanSpa.com gets distributed to our audience across all channels. This amplifies our content’s reach and ensures our community sees the most relevant insights wherever they engage with us. Whether that’s email, social or at our events.
With Operations, alignment is critical. I make sure the deliverables and receivables outlined in our partnership agreements actually happen. Operations helps me execute what we’ve promised partners, and they hold me accountable to what partners have committed to us. When we’re all in sync, partnerships run smoothly and both sides see the value.
MADDY: For marketers who want to grow into leadership roles in the trade show industry, what skills or habits do you consider essential today?
KAMIRA: Being a leader requires a lot, but the most important thing is knowing and staying close to your audience. This will help you not just be a leader, but a successful leader. Attend the shows, walk the floor, talk to attendees and exhibitors. The best marketing insights won’t only come from your desk. A majority of the time they come from genuine engagement with the communities we serve.
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