The annual CTSM New Graduate & Alumni Dinner held Sunday evening, March 12th, 2017 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas was also the 25th anniversary celebration of the Certified Trade Show Marketer program. The annual dinner, with its Certification Awards ceremony, is always an excellent event, but this year the organizers outdid themselves, with lovely silver anniversary decor and special guests, including founding and early staff members and instructors. Representatives from each decade of the program spoke or were acknowledged.

2017 CTSM Dinner program on the table. In keeping with the Silver Anniversary theme, tablecloths were a glittery silver, setting off beautiful blue orchid centerpieces.

Instrumental in the start of the CTSM program: Lee Knight, Editor-in-Chief of EXHIBITOR Magazine; Dee Silfies, Chief Learning Strategist; Christine Christman, first Director of the CTSM program;  Jim Andersen, original speaker and our connection to San Francisco State University (the original university affiliation); and Joe Ries, CTSM Academic Advisor for 23 years.

Still standing: Gail Hernandez, CTSM Diamond, was honored as the second graduate (and first female) in the program. As Jan Nelson pointed out, Gail took a chance on a new program, and has been an important contributor to its success. In 2014 Gail became of one of only two people to receive the CTSM Lifetime Achievement Award.  She is the earliest CTSM to remain active.

It was a joy to see Joe Ries again! Our CTSM Academic Advisor for 23 years, Joe had to miss last year’s conference and dinner, but he came back with a roar.

“Trade Show Bob” Milam, long-time instructor and well-known consultant and columnist, with one of the original speakers, Steelhead Productions Founder Jim Anderson, and  Rhiannon Andersen.

Required speakers: Mim Goldberg, an associate of Marketech360; Ian Sequeira, EVP, Exhibit Surveys Inc; and Marc Goldberg, Founder of Marketech360. All three are long-time speakers who teach core sessions in the CTSM program.

Glenda Brungardt, CTSM Silver, Trade Show/Event Manager at HP . She’s an excellent CTSM session speaker, drawing on nearly 40 years of trade show experience with the same company.

Jim Anderson, Founder of Steehead Productions. Jim was one of the original speakers, and remains a CTSM-required speaker to this day.

Sharon McAvoy,  CTSM Gold, Event Planner for Waters Corporation.

Matt Volk, representative of Northern Illinois University Outreach, the CTSM program’s university affiliation.

Christine Christman, original Director of the CTSM program. I took my first classes at “EXHIBITOR Show” during her tenure. Christine has been in charge of the eLearning Content Development for the CTSM program since 2009.

Sharon McAvoy, CTSM Gold, Event Planner for Waters Corporation and Bobbie Jo Seyler, CTSM Diamond, Trade Show & Event Manager at MilliporeSigma (Supelco). BJ and I received our initial certification the same year, and our Diamond upgrades the same year as well, standing next to each other each time. (I was slightly ahead of her in both cases, but after all, I’m older.)

New CTSM graduate Maddie Ogren, Director, Client Services at Access TCA.  Maddie created an excellent CTSM portfolio!

New CTSM graduate Athena Helmer, Trade Relations Management at Pfizer Consumer Healthcare

3 CTSM graduates from RealPage, Inc. in Carrollton, TX, along with their exhibit house partner, new graduate Brandi Edwards of Shabang Exhibits. Left to right: Katie Schmidth, Stacey Blackwell, Brandi Edwards and Michael Nielson. 

17 of the 39 new Certified Trade Show Marketers. (Travel delays, nearly all of them weather-related, caused some graduates to miss the photo.)

7 of 12 CTSM Diamonds. Back row: Melanie Swanson; our newest Diamond, Kathleen Meadowcroft;  Steven L. Marchese; Diane Fox Benson; and Katherine Chesnut Klang. Front row: Dominique Cook and Lisa Harper Lawley. (Our colleague Dana Tilghman was unable to attend due to trade show work, and a few others had travel delays. Gail Hernandez and I missed this photo shoot because we were stuck in hotel check-in lines, but at least we, along with Bobbie Jo Seyler, made it to the reception and dinner!)

CTSM Program leaders today: Chief Learning Strategist Dee Silfies; Academic Advisor Joe Ries, and Executive Director Jan Nelson.

There were many speakers, most of us with two-minute time limits. This is what I said:

It’s said that real leaders don’t create followers, true leaders create MORE leaders. That describes the CTSM experience.

The valuable learning and the contacts I’ve gained in the program have served me well, whether I’ve been working for an exhibit company, coordinating corporate trade shows, or doing marketing and events for non-profits. This has been true in good times and in tough times.

Back when I was finally getting somewhere with my portfolio, I was diagnosed with cancer for the third time. And… it was serious. But I kept working in the field I love, and very happily completed my portfolio on time. I considered it part of my treatment. Later, when I found myself in a job hunt that dragged on (and on), I took on contract work, inspired by successful self-employed colleagues.

I love serving as a portfolio advisor. I’m proud that many of my 15 or so graduates have gone on to be portfolio advisors themselves. I’ve continued to learn a lot about advising from Jan Nelson, and honestly, I’ve learned from my advisees too.  There is wonderful give-and-take in this group. I love learning, and when I saw a need for a session that didn’t exist, I created one, and colleagues shared tips and gave encouragement.

My husband gets a big kick out of it when I have to take my own advice – not to gloat, but because he knows I am my own worst critic.

I’ve often told my advisees “you’re closer than you think.” I had just said that to one three years ago when Jan asked me to submit my application for the Diamond level. That was totally unexpected, and I didn’t see how it could be possible. But when I filled out the application, I realized I wasn’t just closer than I thought – I was THERE.  Sometimes it takes another perspective to help you see where you are. This program does that.