workforce development initiative

Thank you for volunteering to introduce the next generation to careers in the live events and exhibitions industry. You are the most credible voice a student will hear today — more than any brochure, website, or video we can produce. This toolkit is designed to make your 45 minutes as easy, effective, and measurable as possible.

This is version 2 of the toolkit. It is shorter, more student-centric, and built around a single message: the people who build the world's biggest events have creative, well-paying, often non-degree careers — and those careers are hiring right now. 

The Exhibitions Industry Collective is a collaboration of leading organizations in the exhibitions and events industry, working together to promote career pathways and workforce development. The collective includes key industry associations such as ECA, EDPA, ESCA, IAEE, IAVM, and SISO, all committed to fostering talent and ensuring a thriving future for our industry.

Through this initiative, we aim to educate, inspire, and connect the next generation with rewarding career opportunities in exhibitions and events.

• A rebuilt student deck that is shorter (12 slides, not 20), uses real photography, and leads with money and people rather than acronyms.
• A one-page student handout (PDF) with salaries, roles, and real next steps.
• A 15-minute drop-in version for school counselors who only have a study hall.
• A parent one-pager (EN/ES) addressing the "but you need a 4-year degree" objection.
• A new program brand — The Show Starts Here — that students can actually repeat to a friend.
• A direct line to the Collective so interested students can get warm introductions to member companies.

1. Open with a story (3 min). The first event you ever worked and one thing that went wrong and how you fixed it. Do not open with slide 1.
2. Show the "you've already been to my job" reel (2 min).
3. Walk through 6 roles, not 12. Money, day-in-the-life, how to start (15 min).
4. Share your own career path in 90 seconds (2 min).
5. Q&A — budget 15 minutes, it is the most valuable part (15 min).
6. Close with the QR code: quiz, fellowship application, and job board (3 min).
7. Collect the educator's card and tell them you'll follow up within 48 hours (5 min). 

• Email the educator a week before with a 3-line confirmation and the A/V needs (HDMI, speakers, Wi-Fi). Template below.
• Load the deck on your own laptop AND a USB stick. School Wi-Fi will fail you.
• Bring the printed one-pagers — one per student, plus three for the educator.
• Know three real salaries cold (entry, mid, senior) for your own role.
• Have the fellowship deadline memorized.
• Tell the Collective you're presenting at info@exhibitionsindustryawareness.com so we can credit your hours and send follow-up resources to the school.

Tag the member associations (ECA, EDPA, ESCA, IAEE, IAVM, SISO) on LinkedIn when you post. Share a photo of the classroom (with permission) and one thing a student asked you. That's it — the simpler the better.

• Before: "On my way to [school] to talk to students about how the world's biggest events actually get built."
• During: A short video of the room and the question a student asked.
• After: A photo with the teacher and the count of students reached.

 Email: info@exhibitionsindustryawareness.com

We respond within one business day. If you need a co-presenter, we can pair you with another volunteer. If the school needs proof of insurance or a background check, we can help with that too.

Thank you for building the show — and the next generation of people who build it.