Michelle Winfrey is the Trade Show and Events Manager for C+A Global, one of the world’s largest online retailers of consumer products and photographic equipment, representing brands such as Polaroid, KODAK, Ritz Camera, SkyMall and Stanley.
With over 30 years in the industry, Michelle’s career spans dance, nonprofit arts management, marketing, and large-scale global trade shows. She sat down with us to share her story. These trade show manager interview insights offer a rare, candid look at the demands, challenges, and rewards of the role.
Q: How long have you been a part of the events industry and how did you get into it?
A:“I have been in the event industry for over 30 years. It started with my passion for dance. I attended Marymount Manhattan College as a dance major and, while in college, was introduced to the profession of Nonprofit Performing Arts Management. There I was given a budget to start my own dance company, which meant I was now planning opening nights, gala parties, performances, world premieres and so forth.”
She added: “Planning parties, dinners, galas and fundraisers became the normal course of business.”
Michelle went on to intern at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, later working with The Clive Thompson Dancenter and DanceCompany, organizing tours from Washington D.C. to the Cayman Islands.
Q: So your passion for dance and performance brought you into that world of events, and from there you developed a new passion for the planning aspects of it?
A:“Exactly! I discovered that I enjoyed the planning aspects as much as being on stage. As a dancer, I would perform with my dance company but I was also still the one planning everything. I was able to enjoy the best of both worlds.”
Q: From there, how did you get into the trade show business?
A:“I was very fortunate to be hired by PLAYMOBIL USA, a toy company, as their public relations and marketing manager for eight or nine years. There I was responsible for their major trade shows, so I took the knowledge that I gained from managing theater and dance company events over into that world, which was certainly different, but the process remained the same. I ended up focusing on trade shows from there.”
Q: What are the responsibilities of a trade show and events manager?
A:“At the onset of any show, the end result is the goal. There’s a path that you travel as a trade show and events manager to prepare everything that needs to happen to get you to opening night or opening day of that show. You want to execute the show as seamlessly as possible, and that means paying very close attention to the details and planning for what can go wrong.”
“I have to know my trade show booth like it’s my second home, and the only way you can do that is by paying close attention to the details.”
Q: What type of experience do you believe is critical for anyone trying to jump into a trade show manager position?
A:“Any experience in a field that forces you to communicate is important. A general background in marketing can help because a trade show is really one big marketing exposition. A public relations background is also helpful because you never know who is going to approach the booth.”
“Experience building rapport and trust with a team is also important. When I do a trade show, I’m pretty much walking into a brand new crew every time. It is critical that I demonstrate to them that I’m their partner; I’m not the boss nor am I there to boss them around.”
Q: Technology has undoubtedly disrupted nearly every industry. How has it affected the trade show world?
A:“Technology has allowed us to do more, with confidence, and to be able to fix problems much quicker and a whole lot easier.”
“Today, I get these booth renderings that look like works of art and that give me a true sense of what the booth will actually look like. Ten years ago, you might have looked at a booth’s design and thought ‘oh, this is spectacular!’ However, when you look at something today you realize ‘now this is really spectacular!’ because we continue to outdo ourselves.”
She added: “If I was an exhibit house, such as Absolute Exhibits, I’d be in heaven! What you can now engineer on a computer would have taken weeks to do on paper, and you can now easily identify problems and find appropriate solutions quicker.”
Q: Tell me about one of the most difficult trade show campaigns you’ve managed.
A:“I think the most difficult trade show campaign was a time that I was simultaneously managing a company’s 5-6 different brands within a single booth space. I was responsible for making these brands look like they belong together, while ensuring that each brand maintain its individuality, color scheme and integrity.”
She also shared a story from her first CES with C+A Global: “Picture this: I show up to CES and my boss who hired me isn’t there yet, so I don’t know anyone… That man was Todd Koren (CEO of Absolute Exhibits). Todd was the first person I met at CES, and from there I just jumped right in with him.”
Q: What advice would you give to someone aspiring to enter the industry as a trade show and events manager?
A: “No one wakes up as a great trade show manager; it comes with time and practice.
“One of the best things anyone can do is walk trade shows with a camera and notepad and document everything he or she thinks looks nice or isn’t working.”
Closing
Michelle Winfrey’s journey—from dance to global exhibitions—shows that adaptability, communication, and attention to detail are the traits that define great managers. Her stories, from overnight booth fixes to her first CES with Absolute Exhibits, illustrate the creativity and composure required to succeed.
For anyone in the industry, these trade show manager interview insights underscore a simple truth: behind every successful booth is a manager balancing vision, logistics, and human connection.
