Blog
A Seat on the Other Side
Rachel Rodean, ESCA's Director of Education & Events, attended TSE Gold 100 as an attendee for once and shares what the view from the other side taught her.
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Director of Education and Events, ESCA
In our world, the show never stops. There is always another move-in, another deadline, another email that “just needs a quick answer.” Most of my time in this industry has been spent behind the scenes managing logistics, building educational programs, worrying about whether a session should run for 45 minutes or a full hour. When we live inside a production schedule, we start to view an event as a machine of moving parts rather than an experience. We build cities out of nothing in a few days' time, tear them down even quicker, then move on to start all over for the next event. Somewhere along the way, getting caught up in the day-to-day grind can make it easy to forget the magic of what we do… and the reason we fell in love with this industry in the first place.
This September, it felt almost wrong when I closed my inbox and set aside my clipboard to attend TSE Gold 100 as an attendee.
Stepping into that ballroom felt so different from what I've become used to and gave me a new perspective on what we do. For the first time, I wasn't scanning the room for cues, making sure the next speaker was mic'd up, putting out fires, or watching the clock to keep the sessions on schedule. I sat in the audience and got to experience what it's like on the other side. At first, it took some effort to stop habitually reaching for my phone. As event professionals, we are notoriously guilty of half-listening while multitasking, because our teams need us and there is always something that requires our immediate attention. But when I forced myself to be present, the perspective shift was immediate.
During the Educational Summit, I listened to ECA President Tommy Goodwin give an update on U.S. policy changes and lobbying efforts affecting our industry. It was a presentation I had heard parts of before, but always while running an event, never able to give it my undivided attention. Sitting there with fresh ears, I was able to actually take in the gravity of what he was saying regarding new customs regulations, surging tariffs, and shifting labor margins. These were no longer abstract data points on a screen, but resonated as the exact pressures felt first by our ESCA members who hire the crews and build the shows. I heard UCSB Economics Professor Peter Rupert share how the current state of the economy impacts trade shows, what he sees on the horizon for our industry, and how it affects event businesses' decision-making. He kept me engaged, and again, what he was saying became tangible rather than theoretical.
That was my first real insight as an attendee: when we are too busy managing logistics, we miss the very knowledge meant to safeguard our industry. It made me realize that the relationship between organizers and attendees is a symbiotic one. As behind-the-scenes creators, it is our job to build programming so valuable that putting the phone down becomes an easy choice for attendees. As participants, we have to meet the experience halfway. If we don't actively choose to give a session our full attention, we end up leaving knowledge on the table.
The most surreal moment of the week came during the Gala Awards Dinner, where I was honored as one of TSE's 2026 “Women to Watch.” Standing in front of the legends who made this field what it is today was deeply humbling. As I approach my third year with ESCA, it made me reflect on how special our industry truly is. There is no single path to success here, no definitive route to entering the exhibition and events world. Many of our leaders started as boots-on-the-ground crew members, labor supervisors, or logistics coordinators before moving up the ranks. Hard work is recognized at every level, there is no glass ceiling, and the opportunity for career growth is vast. One week you can be holding a clipboard on the show floor and the next, standing on a stage in a gown, swapping your black move-in tee for black tie, being handed an award in front of a sea of industry veterans. My recognition on that stage is far from a solo achievement; it is a testament to our industry itself.
My challenge to all of us, the people who make the magic happen behind the scenes, is to bring fresh eyes to the next event, let that spark be reignited by being present, and remember the first time you felt in awe of the boundless opportunities this industry offers us.
Rachel Rodean
Director of Education and Events
Read More
- Advice from the 2026 TSE Women to Watch – Trade Show Executive
- Rachel Rodean Named a 2026 TSE Women to Watch Honoree