Building a Portfolio
Your portfolio is a collection of materials which showcase your tradeshow marketing abilities and your application
of essential learning components gained through your attendance at EXHIBITOR conference sessions.
Your portfolio will include your educational and career background; company background; introductory
remarks about your program; overall corporate objectives for tradeshow/event marketing; management of
exhibit design/production; a demonstration of how key messages were integrated into your program; successes and
areas of improvement for trade show activities and what you have learned from your EXHIBITOR
education. Here are some sample portfolios:
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Samantha Nelson
Good Example of well-organized
online portfolio
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Elaine Arnold
Another Good Example of Online
Portal Format
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Alison Chase
Good example of using links between
references and appendix pages referenced
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Nikki Adkins
Overall beautiful, well-written,
easy-to-read portfolio
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Alexis Winslow
Inviting layout, basic criteria
covered in an uncomplicated way
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Tom Peterson
Excellent portfolio from the
exhibit house/partner perspective.
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Colleen Callan
Excellent example of an event-focused portfolio (from a non-profit, during the pandemic)
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Dawn Leeper
Excellent portfolio using a layout variation – slides rather than
8 ½ x 11
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Brenda Mitchell
Makes appendix references easy to read with links that take you back and forth.
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Lana Kapaeva
Well presented, attractive layout
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Amy Armstrong
Excellent format and presentation of material
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Christian Hawkins
Modern format and excellent results reporting section. No appendix needed
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| Support From Advisors |
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You will be assigned an advisor to assist you through the development of the portfolio. It is your responsibility
to keep regular communication flowing between the two of you and commit to a time schedule for submitting
portions of your portfolio for review. Your advisor will review your final document before it is submitted
to the CTSM office and then notify the CTSM Executive Advisor that your portfolio is ready for submission. |
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| Evaluation |
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Your portfolio will be evaluated by a review committee, made up of the CTSM Program Manager and
CTSM Diamond Level Graduates. Each section will be judged on the basis of "acceptable" or "revise/add."
Receiving all "acceptable" comments results in portfolio approval. "Revise/add" comments mean that the
section needs further development in order to be approved for certification. You will be asked to resubmit
with further evidence of mastery in that category in order to meet the portfolio requirement for the CTSM program.
CONGRATULATIONS.
Once your exam is passed, and your portfolio is approved, you join an elite group of CTSM Graduates.
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| Certification Upgrades |
| For CTSM Graduates |
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Certification is a lifetime credential. However, because of the dynamic nature of the industry and rapidly
changing knowledge and skills required, certification upgrades are recommended every five years.
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Four levels of upgrades are awarded to candidates, as they earn additional CEUs following certification.
Each CEU is the equivalent of 10 classroom hours. |
| Bronze Upgrade: 1 CEU |
| Silver Upgrade: 2 CEUs |
| Gold Upgrade: 3 CEUs |
For bronze, silver and gold levels of upgrades, graduates may select from among all of the elective sessions offered at EXHIBITOR Learning Events. Choose the ones that will best address your needs and those of your program. For diamond level certification, at least 9 of your sessions must be selected from Advanced Level, Author's Executive Series, or Profiles in Excellence. For each session taken, be sure to complete the Affidavit of Attendance online within the two week timeframe allowed. This will ensure that the sessions get added to your CTSM transcript.
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| Diamond Level Certification |
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One-fifth education, four-fifths contribution.
After completing the Gold Upgrade, graduates can continue their education with Diamond Level Certification.
In addition to continued advanced education, the Diamond Certification requires demonstrated
leadership by "giving back to the industry" through professional contributions.
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Enroll in CTSM
Start the enrollment process by submitting an application form:
Already enrolled? Log in to My CTSM.
How Much Does CTSM
Professional Certification Cost?
(hint: It's probably less than you think)
CTSM Candidates
Learning Events
EXHIBITOR eTrak
University-Affiliated Online Learning for Trade Show and Corporate Event Marketers
>> More
EXHIBITOR Education Week
The Professional Learning Conference for Exhibit and Corporate Event Marketers
>> More
EXHIBITORLIVE
The Conference and Exhibition for Trade Show and Corporate Event Marketing
>> More
Our Partner
At CTSM we believe in quality education, so we've partnered with NIU to provide us with the best resources for your professional certification.
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Join the CTSM Groups on LinkedIn
