Our series aims to highlight the exceptional employees in the events industry. Each Beyond the Booth feature will be a mixture of professional and personal questions illustrating their unique personality. Alison Daniels, CEM, provides a glimpse into her life.

Question: What initially got you interested in your current field of work?
Answer: While I was in the Management Trainee Program at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel, I had a stint in the Convention Services Department. It was there that I learned about this mysterious occupation called a “Meeting Planner” and from that point on, I knew I had to become one!

Question: What energizes you about your career in events?
Answer: The planning and organizing. Even after 27 years in this industry, it still amazes me how everything comes together. I still get emotional as I walk up and down the aisles of an almost-ready-to-open exhibit hall. (I can’t wait to do that again in 2022!)

Question: What’s the best career advice you’ve ever heard?
Answer: I’m not sure this is exactly “career advice” but it is what immediately came to mind. There is a phrase I learned from a colleague that changed my whole attitude about “challenging situations”. That phrase is, Pause and Wait. Let the attendee, exhibitor, colleague, prospect, get it all out. Let them be heard. Then respond. It’s amazing how just letting the person speak without interruption can truly diffuse a situation.

Question: What’s your favorite conference/tradeshow/event to attend?
Answer: You mean after my own? 😉 IAEE but if I could be nostalgic for a moment, I loved Springtime in the Park, back in the day. 🙂

Question: Do you have a professional mentor?
Answer: Gosh, I really don’t. However, I’ve been blessed with colleagues and supervisors who have provided me with nuggets to learn and grow from.

Question: What’s your favorite way to spend a day off?
Answer: Hanging with my husband and pup OR a day at Disney!

Question: What was the last TV show you binge-watched?
Answer: The Chosen. Amazing show! Very inspiring, especially during these crazy times.

Question: What song always gets you out on the dance floor?
Answer: Poison by Bell Biv Devoe.

Question: What’s the phone app you use most?
Answer: Peloton

Thanks so much, Alison for participating in Beyond the Booth!