Report from Emerging Leaders 2010

I was thrilled to be a part of the Emerging Leaders Conference and found this program to be very beneficial to vendors and marketing professionals alike.  As an Exhibit Consultant, knowing the client side perspective is vital.  A conversation with a VP of Marketing is very different from a conversation with a Trade Show Manager.  They both have different goals and their success is measured differently.  To provide the best overall solution, I need to understand what those goals are and what makes them successful.   Several of the sessions were geared towards taking a closer look at how different levels of management are measured and how they make decisions. Keith Reznick’s “Executive Mindset and Executive Speak” session taught me how to communicate with C-level managers.  When I understand what is important to them and how they are evaluated, it allows me to provide them with relevant information that directly affects them and helps them achieve their overall goals and objectives.  Ed Jones spoke on “Planning for Success”.  This session focused on how important it is to develop insight into business improvement initiatives with internal and external customers alike.  I appreciated learning about the decision-making processes at different levels within an organization. In addition to the education, the Emerging Leaders Conference was a wonderful opportunity to network with my peers.  There were many opportunities to have casual conversations about the everyday challenges and issues that are currently affecting all of us.  I now feel like I have 28 other folks that are a phone call away if I need help with anything.  Keeping this conference small was a great benefit.  I had a chance to meet everyone and have more meaningful conversations.  Having the Georgia Aquarium to ourselves on the first night was an added opportunity to develop networking friends.  As we were reminded in Linda Musgrove’s session, “Building Your Network and Base of Support”, networking is everything.I have come out of the Emerging Leaders Conference being a better sales person, with a new appreciation for my clients’ needs and 28 instant new friends.Thank you TSEA for this wonderful event.Kim Masters is Account Executive with MG Design Associates