| Mentoring Opportunities

Trade Show Blog

Featured Speaker
Sandy Jones-Kaminski

Our thanks to everyone who supported the Annual Women in Exhibitions Breakfast at EXHIBITORLIVE. It was a huge success! Attendance increased from 100 in 2018 to 150 in 2019.

Here’s what our members are saying:

“I attend the Women in Exhibition event each year at EXHIBITORLIVE and bring the women on my team for networking and education. At this event, we are able to connect with other women in our industry who have various roles and challenges within their organizations. The breakfast is professionally facilitated with a keynote speaker to allow for education at all levels.

“I started my business 26 years ago after the President of the company I worked for told me I would be great at what I did, if I were a man. This simple statement fueled years of passion in starting and growing my own business where women play a key role. Women supporting women is the right thing to do.” – Donna Shultz, President & CEO of Mirror Show Management

“Optima was proud to sponsor the WIE breakfast at ExhibitorLive 2019! Looking around the venue that morning, I was proud to be sitting amongst the best and brightest women in the industry. I think we all felt a sense of camaraderie.

“I walked away being reminded of the importance of mentoring and being mentored. Each of us can mentor and share our knowledge and experience with someone less tenured. Being mentored doesn’t stop, no matter what age or level we are in our career, we can always learn something from someone else, especially in this industry.”  – Gina Porcaro, Account Executive at Optima Graphics, Inc.

Connecting and learning from each other is the basis for Women in Exhibitions, founded in 2002. The incredible women in our group have proven to be a valuable resource to each other. It has become critical to optimize our meeting time and location at EXHIBITORLIVE to bring more of us together. And how better to keep the connections growing and vital throughout the year than through a mentorship program?

Want to be a mentor or have a mentor?  Start with this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WIEmentorship

This year’s speaker Sandy Jones-Kaminski pointed out: “Mentorship is what you make of it. Set expectations, set goals. Each of us can learn from each other.” Sandy shared so much with us, not only about mentorships, but about networking and building a personal brand. Here is a link to her presentation if you missed it or just want to review: http://www.belladomain.com/exhibitorlive/

Both our financial and in-kind sponsors deserve so much credit: Exhibitor Media Group, Classic Exhibits, Optima Graphics, Exhibit Concepts, Access TCA, Live Marketing, Highmark Tech, Pinnacle Exhibits, ProExhibits, AFR Furniture Rental, Brumark, Skyline-Holt, Condit, Steelhead Productions, and Exhibit Expressions. An extra special thanks to Freeman who added their support to our cause as well!

Have questions? Want to get involved? Have a great idea to name of our mentorship program? E-mail us at WomenInExhibitions@gmail.com. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Katina Rigall Zipay, Creative Director @ Classic Exhibits (katina@classicexhibits.com)

Recent Posts

EuroShop 2026 Design Trends

Recently, Kevin Carty and Katina Rigall Zipay from Classic Exhibits attend EuroShop 2026 in Duesseldorf, Germany. While there, they posted two videos of their experience including exhibition design trends like colors, shapes, materials, and lighting

Small Booth Strategies for First-Time Fancy Food Exhibitors

Are you a first-time exhibitor at the Summer Fancy Food Show in NYC? Congratulations! The SFFS is a marathon of tasting, networking, and business deals, open only to qualified members of the food trade. Think retail buyers, distributors, chefs, and the press. Expect to see over 32,000 attendees, 2500 exhibitors, and 180,000 specialty food and beverages on display.

Booth Design Ideas That Help Biotech Brands Stand Out at BIO 2026

Are you an exhibitor or an attendee at BIO? If you’re an exhibitor, you’re probably wondering how individual biotech brands stand out at the BIO International Convention? The key is knowing your audience, creating a comprehensive strategy, and designing a stunning biotech booth design.

Trade Shows are a Journey. Send Sacagawea.

The Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Display is an American-engineered and built system designed for professional exhibitors. It’s meant to last for years, look amazing, and setup fast from the first to the fiftieth show. No compromises.

Introducing the New Classic Website!

Good websites are never fully done. They evolve… and the new Classic website makes changes much easier. So, if “stuff” moves around or we add new features, it’s because we’re antsy about the status quo at Classic Exhibits. Which shouldn’t surprise you.

What Makes a Good Trade Show Booth?

When it comes to creating a good trade show booth, you are in luck. The booth design is the fun part for most exhibitors. You get to work with an exhibit designer who has your trade show goals and budget, along with an understanding of your customers, your culture and your branding. While the question “What makes a good trade show booth?” depends on the exhibitor, there are commonalities to every good trade show exhibit. We’ll explore those similarities in this article.

More Mix & Match Rentals from Classic Rental Solutions

About a month ago, we launched Classic’s Mix & Match Rental Guide as a tool to streamline the rental decision process with a comprehensive set of towers, counters, lightboxes, and kiosks. This “smarter not harder” approach was intended to make your job easier.

Our Membership in the Xperiential Marketplace

Classic Exhibits announces our membership in Xperiential Marketplace (XM), an innovative buying and education group for the exhibit industry. XM was founded by two industry veterans, Jason Weddle and Rob Cohen with a mission to unlock savings, create stronger partnerships, and increase growth.

The Power of a Branded Trade Show Exhibit: Strategy + Examples

Marketing professionals and exhibit designers know how to create a branded trade show exhibit that attracts traffic to the booth and maximizes the attendee’s experience. It starts with understanding the brand’s identity and creating a detailed strategic plan for the trade show.

The (3) Types of Portable Trade Show Displays

No category of displays is more perplexing than portables. Prices, capabilities, and quality vary considerably, and the differences are often opaque. As a result, buyers sometimes make hasty decisions based on attractive renderings, professional websites, and low prices.