After years of working in the trenches of the trade shows, I thought I knew pretty much all there was to know about how to make it through a show and survive. I learned from the school of hard knocks. Most of my decisions were made well in advance of the show floor with my detail-oriented planning, but, as we all know in the trade show world, always have a Plan B. Nowhere in my life, other than raising my children, has the Girl Scout Motto been more tried and true: “Always Be Prepared!”

Little did I know at that time that there were actually classes that could teach you the stuff I learned the hard way. But, I was about to be introduced to the EXHIBITOR SHOW by one of the early graduates of the CTSM program, Katharine Frederick. Katharine worked for another division of Philips in Atlanta, but she became Marketing Manager for our security division, and our paths soon crossed at one of our major shows. Katharine quickly shared her enthusiasm for EXHIBITOR SHOW, and before you know it, I had approval from my supervisor and was off to the Fall EXHIBITOR SHOW in Baltimore. I was hooked and now had a goal: To be a CTSM graduate!

Three years later, I am certified, have a new title of Marketing Events and Publicity Coordinator, and my coworkers and supervisors respect my proven authority in trade show organization, management and logistics. I enjoy the ever-challenging world of trade shows because no two shows are ever the same.

When not filling my days (and many nights) with my trade show responsibilities and copy writing, I am on the Philips Society Results Team where we promote Philips as a “good neighbor to the Lancaster community”. I teach children's church and am a Weight Watcher Leader where I put into practice my public speaking ability. That never came very easy to me, but I've become more comfortable at it since completing the CTSM public speaking seminar and communicating with a variety of audiences through trade show management.

I attended Elizabethtown College for two years in their Communication Arts program; I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree from Temple University, majoring in Radio-TV-Film with an emphasis on advertising; and I'm proud to add the CTSM certification to my accomplishments.