EDPA Northeast Chapter Engages with Future Professionals at Williamson College Career Fair

On Tuesday, March 5th, the EDPA Northeast Chapter attended a career fair at Williamson College of the Trades in Media, Pennsylvania. This was the second year that the Northeast Chapter represented the tradeshow industry at this event.

Williamson College of the Trades is an accredited junior college with approximately 280 students.  Their mission is to prepare deserving young men to be respected leaders and productive members of society. Williamson uniquely develops the entire student, spiritually, socially, and professionally, emphasizing academic, trade, technical, and moral education in a structured community based on Judeo-Christian principles. The college offers academic programs in carpentry, electrical work, landscape construction and management, machine tool technology, masonry, and power plant technology.

Kayla Gott, Senior Account Executive at Agam and Northeast Chapter Vice President, Renee Langdon, Marketing Manager at Estes Forwarding Worldwide and Marketing Director of the Northeast Chapter, and Rob Mickiewicz, Director of Business Development at 2XL Imaging and Events Director of the Northeast Chapter, attended the event on behalf of the Northeast Chapter and found the experience to be rewarding for both themselves and the students they met. The event, recommended by EDPA’s Future Workforce Committee as a way to connect with future industry professionals, was well-attended by students from the college who came prepared with printed resumes and a keen interest in exploring opportunities related to their upcoming specialty degrees.

 Kayla shared that the students were pleasantly surprised by the numerous opportunities and job prospects available in the events industry. “Most of them had little to no prior knowledge about the industry, but once we began explaining its vast reach, they became highly interested”. Rob mentioned that there was a great deal of enthusiasm among the students as they started to see the various roles available in companies nationwide. The trio, consisting of Kayla specializing in custom framing systems, Renee focusing on logistics, and Rob creating graphic designs to enhance event experiences, exemplified how different roles can work together for the success of an event. Overall, the three EDPA members collected 24 resumes from students interested in job and internship opportunities.

With a focus on industry education, support, and advocacy as key components of the EDPA mission, and the Future Workforce committees empowering members to shape the industry's future, the Northeast Chapter saw the career fair as a chance to make a positive impact.

Fortunately, this won't be the last chance for the EDPA Northeast Chapter to connect with students. We always strive to engage with the future professionals in our industry.  We are always keeping an eye out for career fairs to join to inform students about opportunities in our industry.  If you or someone that you know has a career fair in mind that might find value in EDPA representation, please let us know by emailing info@edpanortheast.com.

To learn more about Future Workforce and Future Leaders, and how you can get more involved with your EDPA Chapter, visit https://www.edpa.com/future.

About Agam, 2024 Sponsor of the EDPA Northeast Chapter

Agam is a Proud Supporter of the EDPA Northeast Chapter

Did you know?

For 40 years, Agam has established itself as a market leader by providing innovative design solutions to designers and developers looking to create unique, compelling, and memorable spaces. They offer engineering and manufacturing services for adaptable physical structures that cater to various industries, including trade shows/events, retail environments, office interiors, and healthcare spaces.

Agam's solutions offer endless design possibilities, fast turnaround times, and unparalleled quality. They utilize their vast capabilities and skilled craftsmanship to ensure their clients receive the optimal designs that fit their requirements. Their production facility in the Washington DC-Baltimore corridor spans 115,000 square feet under one roof, guaranteeing efficient throughput and a single point of control. This means quality production is delivered fast.

Whether you need individual components to support your construction or a turnkey, total solution, Agam has what you need. Their dedication to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction has made them a trusted name in the industry.

Click here to learn more about Agam.

About 2XL Imaging, a 2024 Sponsor of the EDPA Northeast Chapter

2XL Imaging is a Proud Supporter of the EDPA Northeast Chapter

Did you know?

At 2XL Imaging, our journey is woven with a commitment to elevating the visual experience.

Steeped in extensive product and industry expertise, 2XL Imaging specializes in the printing and production of wide-format custom graphics where every pixel tells a story.

Our unique concierge customer service approach is the heartbeat of 2XL Imaging, ensuring that every interaction is as exceptional as the visuals we create. Our mission is not just about growth; it is about passionately pursuing excellence. We are setting our sights on expanding our business footprint across the United States within major retail brand stores, sporting events, trade show events, corporate events, and corporate office spaces. This expansion is fueled by the dedication of our people, fortified client partnerships, exceptional customer service experiences, an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement and high-quality standards.

To learn more about 2XL Imaging, visit https://2xlimaging.com/

EDPA Northeast Chapter Shines a Light on Events Industry for Champlain College Students

EDPA Northeast Chapter Shines a Light on Events Industry for Champlain College Students

On Wednesday, October 18, members of the EDPA Northeast Chapter coordinated a road trip up to Burlington, Vermont, armed with banner stands, promo materials and a wealth of industry knowledge to share, and headed to Champlain College’s Fair Career Fair.

As a small, not-for-profit private college with 2,000 undergraduate students, Champlain College offers attentive staff and a diverse range of majors and career-focused programs. From staples like accounting, applied sustainability, business administration, marketing and communication, to new age disciplines in game design and animation, creative media, game art and programming, undergraduate students at Champlain College have their pick of programs built with career options in mind. It was a great opportunity for us to open their eyes to atypical applications of their degrees to various fields in the events and customer experience industry.

In a collaboration with the EDPA Future Workforce, Tom Gardner (VP Human Resources of Access TCA), Mike Vallone (VP, Creative & Brand of Hill & Partners) and Rob Mickiewicz (Director of Business Development of 2XL Imaging) represented the EDPA Northeast Chapter and the events industry during the College’s Fall Career Fair. And what a rewarding experience it was!

In total, the three met with about 30-40 students who stopped by our table to learn more about the EDPA and what our lucrative industry could offer them in work and salary experiences, post-graduation. The trio shared relevant industry information like job roles and paths to career development, and salary guides to highlight the financial stability this industry can offer right out of college. They also brought examples of what type of work could be expected from degrees in multimedia, communications, business administration and more.

 ‘All in all, it was a successful career fair,” says Tom Gardner. “After talking with us, several students showed a genuine interest in the industry and said they could see a future for them in the events/tradeshow/face-to-face marketing space.”

 We collected the resumes of those who brought them along, and are glad to be able to uphold our mission for industry advocacy and education by sharing our knowledge, experience and example career opportunities to this newest generation of the workforce.

As we head into 2024, this will certainly not be the EDPA Northeast Chapter’s only opportunity to get in front of students, and we’re always looking for ways to engage the industry’s future professionals. Check back regularly on our list of events for an upcoming career fair near you, or if you know one you’d like to attend on behalf of the EDPA Northeast Chapter, let us know by emailing info@edpanortheast.com.

 If you want to learn more about Future Workforce and Future Leaders, including how you can get more involved with on behalf of your EDPA Chapter, click here: https://www.edpa.com/future.

The Classic: A Day to Remember

September 11. A day no one will forget, and everyone will make time to honor. It also just so happened to be the day of this year’s The Classic golf tournament. For the EDPA Northeast Chapter, The Classic is a day of networking, friendly competition and of rallying members together in support of a great cause. The Classic is always planned for the first Monday in September following Labor Day and has only ever fallen on this most historic day once before in the seven years the event has been run.

The day could not have turned out better. In typical Massachusetts fashion, the weather forecast for the day was one of rain and thunder (and lightning, a golfer’s worst fear). Yet, the ‘golf gods’ were certainly looking down on us as the inclement weather held off through the entire tournament and, in fact, the sun made an appearance during the awards ceremony that concluded the day. We had an amazing turnout; the best so far in the post-COVID era. There were 69 total golfers for The Classic 2023, along with 22 non-golfers attending simply for the networking and enjoyment of the day (including 10+ volunteers). What’s more, we had record-breaking numbers of sponsors for this event: 28 in total.

In a move made to reinvigorate excitement and engagement in this annual charity golf tournament, this year’s Chapter Board made the decision to donate proceeds from the event to a 9/11-inspired organization. For one, it just made sense, given the event day and its deeper meaning to every person regardless of industry or job status. For another, the Board recognized the opportunity to be more inclusive of Chapter members outside of Massachusetts (where two of the Chapter’s biggest annual events are held). Specifically, it fit within the Chapter’s goal to increase membership and participation in New York and New Jersey, and what better way to incite involvement than by selecting an organization close to the heart of those communities?

Since its inception, The Classic has supported the EDPA Scholarship Foundation; a very important charity to the industry at large and which receives an outpouring of support from many Chapters and EDPA member companies. While this organization certainly relies on its fundraising efforts to give back to our industry’s children with scholarships for higher education, the Chapter Board felt that this year, The Classic should support a new organization that also relies on donations to function and serves its communities. The three main pillars of the Chapter mission are to advocate for the growth and stability of events and customer experience industry, provide educational opportunities for its members outside of conference workshops, and to give back to all its communities through volunteer efforts and monetary support. It was for this reason that the Chapter Board made the decision to change up charities for the first time and go with an organization that would appeal to its ‘southern border’ members for its closeness with those communities. After carefully vetting through several organizations, the Board chose HEART 9/11. Standing for Healing Emergency Aid Response Team, HEART 9/11 was formed by members of the FDNY, NYPD, PAPD and the NYC Building Trades who bonded in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. HEART 9/11’s mission is to respond immediately to natural and man-made disasters, rebuild community centers in hard-hit areas to meet grassroots needs and recover by building resiliency for individuals, families and communities. Most importantly, 93% of donations made to HEART 9/11 goes right to their programs. (HEART 9/11 currently has a Gold rating with Candid on the delivery of program services they provide.)

This move obviously resonated with Northeast Chapter members, with not just our ‘regulars’ of sponsor companies and golfers who have been the mainstay for this event’s fundraising, but a host of new faces and new organizations in the events industry that attended. Perhaps it was also the addition of some new sponsorship levels (in a range from $100-$1,550 to accommodate giving budgets of all sizes), or the chance to win a $25,000 grand prize for making a hole-in-one at one of the Par 3s. Not to mention a great selection of prize items to fit any golfer’s wish-list to bid on for our raffle. Or maybe it was the fact that this year’s winning team would be bringing home a trophy and not just bragging rights for getting the best score, plus the introduction of two hole games to make the day’s event that much more fun, that helped bring in such a high headcount of sponsors and attendees (for hole games, there was ‘Battlechip,’ a cornhole-meets-golf game where golfers played for chances to be entered in a 50/50 raffle and get a drink ticket for participation, and ‘Cornhole-in-One,’ where players tried their luck at sinking a bean bag into the cornhole board for a chance to win the custom-made cornhole boards for the game plus a Yeti cooler filled with goodies).

With all these reasons and more, The EDPA Northeast Chapter was able to raise enough money to donate $5,000 to HEART 9/11; the most the Chapter has ever been able to donate from this annual event. It was certainly a history-making day for this EDPA Chapter, and an event we will always remember.

And while it’s the Northeast Chapter that puts on this annual golf tournament fundraiser for its members, we truly could not do it without their support, donations and participation.

A HUGE Thank You Goes Out to the 2023 The Classic Golf Tournament Sponsors:

2XL Imaging

Fusion Imaging

Donovan Logistics

Elevation 3D

ICL Imaging

Hill & Partners

BlueHive Exhibits

Eagle Management Group

Sacks Exhibits

4 Productions

Willwork

Exhibit Technology

EFW Tradeshow

Display Supply & Lighting, Inc.

Trussworks (Exclusive US Distributor of Prism Lighting Group)

VectorFive

Available Light

Classic Exhibits

Team Worldwide

Creative Dimensions

Agam

CSI Worldwide

Aluvision

Momentum Management

Access TCA

Brumark

Exposures

Exhibit City News

Combined Efforts: Chapters Collide 2023 Recap

Back for it’s third year, the Chapters Collide mega-networking and social event hosted in collaboration by all the EDPA Chapters took place this year at the 8UP Elevated Drinkery & Kitchen in downtown Louisville. It was the “after party” of all after parties - an evening event from 9-11pm off the heels of the EXHIBITORLIVE welcome reception and several other “after parties” hosted by exhibitor companies.

Yet, despite the late hour, EDPA members showed up in droves - highlighting the success of this event overall in enticing engagement and interest, as well as EDPA members’ thirsts for meeting up with fellows in their industry. We had record-breaking attendance with over 250 attendees and nine individual chapters represented, along with 18 total sponsors! (Ron Burgandy even showed up for the party, so it was definitely ‘a big deal.’)

All Chapters had a raffle of some sort; for us at the Northeast Chapter, we raffled off a special package for our annual fall fundraiser and networking event, The Classic Golf Tournament. Our lucky winner, who will receive (1) free ticket to the event plus (1) free night stay at an area hotel of their choosing ($350+ value), is none other than Gina Porcaro of Classic Exhibits!

Thank you to everyone who attended and supported this event.

We were having so much fun, we forgot to take photos… But you can still get a visual recap of the event by watching this video, produced by EDPA member IPME!

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Thank You to This Year’s Sponsors!

Rallying Recap: Rally at the Alley 2023

While sometimes sequels can be a let down from the original, the complete opposite can be said about the 2023 edition of the EDPA Northeast Chapter’s annual fundraiser, “Rally at the Alley.”

On March 23, NE Chapter members far and wide came together at Foxborough’s Splitsville restaurant and bowling center in the heart of Patriot Place, this time to benefit Dana Esposito, EVP Strategy of BlueHive Exhibits.

It was clear from the event turnout and proceeds collected that Dana’s 25+ years in the industry has not gone unnoticed. The room was full of present and former colleagues from pretty much every company she has worked for, as well as other industry colleagues and associates, all of whom are still connected with Dana and counted as friends.

In fact, this year’s event came in at record-breaking attendee numbers for guests and bowlers as well as for donations and sponsorships. We had 115 attendees, 68 bowers, 20 sponsoring companies and an additional 6 companies contributing during the event. In total, the EDPA Northeast members and member companies raised $17,038.18 for Dana and her family to help offset her medical costs.

Dana, who suffered a broken and fractured pelvis, broken and fractured ribs, a fractured sacrum, and broken and fractured transverse process bones in her lower back when she was thrown from a horse while on a charity horse ride on November, 20, 2022, walked (!) into the party to tumultuous applause and cheers.

Since the accident, Dana has had surgery at Mass General and was there for a week and a half before being moved to Spaulding Rehab, where she could not even sit up when she first arrived. After two and a half weeks of rigorous physical therapy, she was able to go home a week ahead of schedule and had been wheelchair-bound since Spaulding. In early March, Dana began walking again, and has since continued her recovery to be able to walk with only the assistance of a cane.

Dana has been in our industry for over 25 years. She is an exhibit designer, and a creative and corporate leader, championing the success of the companies she works for, their clients, and future industry talent. She is on the EDPA Board of Directors, is the Co-chair of the EDPA University Affiliation Committee where she manages the mentorship program and was one of the founding members who restarted the EDPA Northeast chapter.

We are so proud of our members for coming together in support of a dear friend and colleague who clearly has dedicated her life to this industry. It was a fantastic night full of fun, networking, bowling entertainment and, of course, celebrating Dana.

About Agam, 2023 Sponsor

Agam is a Proud Supporter of the EDPA Northeast Chapter

Did you know?

At Agam, we specialize in wholesale manufacturing. For 40 years we have been creating highly customized and modular solutions combining metal and wood fabrication. Unlike any other wholesale producer, we have the most extensive inventory of materials and the most comprehensive equipment to produce custom solutions fast. The design possibilities are endless. Please contact us to explore how we can help you grow your business as an outsource partner.

Click here to learn more about Agam.

About Aluvision, 2023 Sponsor

Aluvision is a Proud Supporter of the EDPA Northeast Chapter

Did you know?

As an innovative developer and worldwide supplier of high quality modular systems for the exhibit and event industry, Aluvision combines bold imagination with unmatched engineering and manufacturing expertise.

The original Aluvision frame system offers unlimited solutions for straight and curved walls, LED walls, hanging signs, light walls, displays and retail environments. Partners can always rely on ample, fast delivery and outstanding customer service. 

Aluvision inspires and connects partners on their creative journey to design and build modular environments with a constant focus on durability, reusability, precision, flexibility and modularity, not to mention always looking forward with R&D. 

Founded in Belgium in 2003, Aluvision currently employs over 120 people and services more than 3 000 partners worldwide. The company has a large production facility and inspiring showroom in Deinze (BE) and Atlanta (USA), as well as a warehouse in Sydney (AUS).

 Aluvision, your partner in modular stand solutions.

Click here to learn more about Aluvision.

EDPA Northeast Chapter Makes an Impact at Career Fair for the Trades

EDPA Northeast Chapter Makes an Impact at Career Fair for the Trades

On Tuesday, March 7, members of the EDPA Northeast Chapter packed up their cars with banner stands, table drapes and promo materials and headed to Media, Pennsylvania for a career fair at the Williamson College of the Trades.

 The accredited junior college is home to approximately 280 students who are required to live on campus and conduct themselves under the virtues of the school: with Faith, Integrity, Diligence, Excellence and Service. (Students attend on full scholarships that cover tuition, room, board and textbooks.) With academic programs for trades including carpentry, electrical, landscape construction and management, machine tool technology, masonry and power plant technology, students graduate in just three years with an Associate in Specialized Technology degree.

 For Ashley Balassone, Director of National Accounts at CSI Worldwide and EDPA Northeast Chapter President, Kayla Gott, Senior Account Executive at Agam and Northeast Chapter Secretary, and Ben Solberg, Production & Detailing Specialist at Hill & Partners and Northeast Chapter member; the experience was just as rewarding for themselves as it was for the students they met.

 The event, identified by EDPA’s Future Workforce Committee for its opportunity to engage with future professionals of the industry, was well-attended by the College’s students who came prepared with printed resumes and a thirst for learning what they could do with their impending specialty degrees.

 “The students were pretty overwhelmed by the amount of opportunity and job offerings within the events industry,” reported Ashley. “None of them were familiar with the industry; their only experience being career fairs and ‘tabletop’ type events.”

 “Seeing their excitement in sharing not just one job type but an entire industry of interrelated and intertwined roles for companies across the country was telling of the promise of the future of this industry,” added Ben.

 “The three of us together were a perfect instance to illustrate the impact of a career in this industry,” said Kayla. “My company being a custom manufacturer of framing systems, Ashley’s specializing in labor management and Ben’s creating exhibits and event experiences, we were able to share how our roles differed and how they related in putting on an event.”

 There was a true moment of connection between young professionals all around as the students and EDPA members jived over the new machinery that the school had received that the students were eager to try out.

 And it wasn’t just talk about entry-level shop positions or summer internships currently available in the trades. With so much of their own careers still ahead of them, Ben, Ashley and Kayla spoke to experiences of older members of the industry having turned a trade skill like carpentry, electrical or machining into a career path that led to upper management positions in sales, operations and business administration.

 In total, these three EDPA “Future Leader” delegates collected 21 resumes from students interested in job and internship opportunities, and who seemed more than willing to relocate for a job to get in the door of the events industry. The majority were pursuing degrees in carpentry, machinery and masonry, with a handful in electrical.

 With industry education, support and advocacy as main pillars of the EDPA mission, and the Future Workforce and Future Leaders committees empowering EDPA members to get involved in shaping the future of the industry, the Northeast Chapter took this career fair as an opportunity to rise to the occasion.

This will certainly not be the EDPA Northeast Chapter’s last opportunity to get in front of students, and we’re always looking for ways to engage the industry’s future professionals. Check back regularly on our list of events for an upcoming career fair near you, or if you know one you’d like to attend on behalf of the EDPA Northeast Chapter, let us know by emailing info@edpanortheast.com.

If you want to learn more about Future Workforce and Future Leaders, including how you can get more involved with on behalf of your EDPA Chapter, click here: https://www.edpa.com/future.