Earning the CEM designation is a professional game changer! IAEE interviewed recent graduate Sheela Pandit, CEM of Informa Markets. Read about her CEM journey and her pursuit to continue exhibition management education to stay knowledgeable about the latest trends.
Hometown: Mumbai, India
University of Education: SNDT Women’s University
How has the CEM designation helped in your career?
The CEM designation has added a lot of value to my overall experience and my credentials. The designation itself lets the industry know that I am Certified in Exhibition Management.
Why is it important to maintain the CEM designation?
It keeps you updated about the latest trends and practices, which is being followed by the exhibitions and events industry. Therefore, this has to be maintained.
What made you want to obtain your CEM designation?
Educating and upgrading yourself each time to match up with the current pace holds a lot of importance, and learning for me is a never-ending process. I would like to pursue a higher education degree in the same field also.
What advice would you give to an aspiring individual who wants to apply for the CEM program?
Be determined in what you are doing, and the CEM helps you to get respect and recognition in the industry, which adds a lot of value to your overall credentials and opens up endless opportunities globally.
How did you start your career in this industry?
I started my career in this industry in 2007. It has been a total of 13 years. I’ve been with UBM India Pvt. Ltd., now Informa Markets, for 11 years.
How have you made a difference with your show or with working with a client by applying the knowledge you gained by obtaining your CEM designation?
You sound knowledgeable and very professional after completing CEM as you are aware of each aspect of the business from sales to marketing to operations to finance, policies, insurance and strategies, etc. What I have learned has given me the opportunity to give advice or apply processes at meetings throughout our show cycle.
What was it that you did or implemented right after obtaining your CEM?
It’s too early as I head a centralized department in the company, but whatever knowledge I have gained from CEM is being shared with team members in the meetings as a suggestion to improve our process/plan/strategy and overall quality of the event.
Fun fact about you – What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
What people don’t know is that I am also a fun-loving person who enjoys every bit of life with family and friends outside my professional world. I love traveling. I am a passionate dancer. I like to try authentic different foods of different cities and country, but at the office, most of my colleagues have seen my professional behavior only 🙂