As a violinist and a marketer, I often find parallels between marketing and music. Think of the musicians who make up a symphony. The sounds they create with their instruments are beautiful and unique on their own. However, it's when they all come together in perfect harmony that you experience something extraordinary. Whether it's planning the event's marketing campaign, designing materials for a product launch, promoting on social, training the sales team, packing supplies, or preparing shipments, everyone has an important role to play, not just individually, but collectively. Teamwork is the strength and foundation.

To be successful as a team, you need to start with a clearly aligned vision so you're working with that same goal in mind. When planning for an event like the International Manufacturing Technology Show, our largest expo in North America, sales and marketing really needed to work hand in hand – how sales initiatives would support the overall objectives, and how marketing could, in turn, support them. If everyone clearly understands that structure, you'll be successful.

I think it's incredibly important to acknowledge and recognize your team members for their work and efforts. Going back to the music analogy, a trade show marketer is a bit like an orchestra conductor: You are part of a team, lead months of preparations, oversee the details, calmly cue each entrance, and, when necessary, make small adjustments in the moment. And in the end, your team executes an impeccable performance that makes a powerful impression. This is an amazing moment, so celebrate it! Things will always come up that are beyond your control, so don't be surprised when they happen, and be ready to adapt. Don't come at the situation thinking, "Oh, this is a bad thing," but rather with the mindset of, "Here's an opportunity to solve a problem in a creative way. We can do this." One time my shipment got delayed on its way to Boston because of an ice storm. There was no way we'd have the exhibit set up in time for show open, so we gathered the resources from our local reps and improvised. So many other exhibitors were in the same boat, so we embraced the situation, did what we could, and still had some amazing conversations with customers on the first day of the show. Attendees were very understanding. The shipment eventually arrived, and everything was fine. So stay positive. Maybe in the end things will come out better than you expected even if everything went according to plan. Nobody wants a perfectly executed event without any sales to grow the business. Even if you get all the details right, your preparation is flawless, and your exhibit runs like clockwork, you're still only halfway to success. When you work so hard for so long, getting wrapped up in nitty-gritty details, it becomes easy to lose sight of the fact that the point of all of this is that magical moment when an attendee steps into your booth and has a great experience that leaves them thinking, "Wow, there's something really special and unique here." We event marketers prepare the stage on which the sales team performs with the goal of leaving a lasting impression that moves the customer to action and keeps them coming back for more. The in-person interactions, building those relationships, and the humanness of it? That's what it's all about, and that's something that needs to come from within. As an event marketer, you're often the Keeper of Information. Everyone is looking to you for direction, so you have to communicate a lot of information to multiple teams. Being able to do this clearly and simply is essential so that stakeholders have the info they need in the time they need it – but they don't receive more than necessary. Don't make things more complex than they have to be. (Trade show marketing is complicated enough!) For each show, ask yourself, "How can I develop an effective comms plan that keeps everyone informed but not overwhelmed?" One handy tool I've created is a Trade Show Guide that gets sent to every person involved in the event, from the service team to the product specialists. This PDF is designed in a clear format with a table of contents so information can be found quickly, which eliminates the need for multiple people to pepper you with the same questions.