By Mary Tucker | Senior Communications and Content Manager | IAEE
We’re thrilled to celebrate Robyn Davis, CPTD, CEM, who has been honored with the IAEE Distinguished Service Award, a recognition reserved for members who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to both the association and the exhibitions industry at large. As a Trade Show Trainer and Consultant with Exhibitors WINH LLC, Robyn has left an indelible mark through her innovative leadership and tireless advocacy.
Robyn’s achievements speak volumes about her dedication: she served as the inaugural Chair of IAEE’s Community, Engagement, and Belonging (CEB) Committee, where she pioneered a revolutionary “Build in Public” approach that transformed committee transparency and member engagement. Leading more than 40 committee members through their critical first year, she set new standards that were showcased in IAEE leadership presentations nationwide. Her service spans multiple national committees, including Membership and Advocacy, as well as the Southeastern Chapter Board, and she has contributed as a CEM Faculty member while presenting countless IAEE webinars and sessions at Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition.
But Robyn’s impact extends far beyond committee work. With an astounding 113 IAEE events under her belt and regular cross-country travel to support chapters from the Southeast to the Rocky Mountains, she embodies what it means to show up for the industry. She’s been a steadfast participant in the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) Legislative Action Day, frequently serving as South Carolina’s State Captain, and lends her expertise to influential groups like ASAE’s Meetings & Expositions Advisory Council and EXHIBITOR Magazine’s Editorial Advisory Board.
Robyn’s thought leadership has shaped industry conversations through publications in Trade Show News Network (TSNN), Trade Show Executive, EXHIBITOR Magazine and the IAEE Blog Station, while her educational excellence has earned her both IAEE’s Bob Dallmeyer Educator of the Year Award in 2021 and the Events Industry Council’s Pacesetter Award.
Currently writing a book to support new trade show exhibitors, Robyn continues to mentor the next generation while advancing IAEE’s mission with unwavering passion, integrity and collaborative spirit.
Robyn was presented with the 2025 IAEE Distinguished Service Award this past December at Expo! Expo! IAEE’s Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Houston, Texas.
We sat down with Robyn to discuss her journey, her groundbreaking work with IAEE and her vision for the future of the exhibitions industry.
You pioneered the “Build in Public” approach for IAEE’s CEB Committee. What inspired this transparency-focused model and what impact have you seen it have on member engagement?
Robyn: While I hadn’t ever seen any other industry committees or organizations take this approach, I can’t take full credit for the idea. #BuildInPublic is something startups have been doing online for a while now and this seemed like the perfect time to try it out!
My thought was, because we were building a new committee for our community, by our community, we should let everyone in on what we were doing behind the scenes too. It was awesome to see the response, not only from committee members, but also from other IAEE members and event professionals who were not yet members too.
The feedback I got overall was very positive and helpful. Often, there were questions and ideas I hadn’t anticipated. By acknowledging and addressing those publicly, we were able to give more professionals an opportunity to feel included and influence our direction. I saw that more people were happy to share what we were doing and invite their friends to come along with them because, together, we made it feel like our committee and our programming. Ultimately, what we did came from our ideas, not just my ideas.
I think it was the perfect way to start the new national Community Engagement and Belonging Committee. I’d love to see those levels of transparency and inclusivity continue and expand into other initiatives as well!
Given continuous cross-country travel to support learning and engagement, what drives your extraordinary commitment to showing up for the association and the industry?
Robyn: It’s always fun to meet new people and hear more perspectives on relevant topics.
Recognizing that not everyone can attend as many of these events as I do, I feel some responsibility for experiencing the events I can fully and sharing my takeaways with my connections. We all benefit when more helpful information and insights are available to more professionals.
Plus, having served on industry boards and presented my own sessions, I know a lot of work goes into hosting these types of events, so I like to support my friends in their efforts as often as I can.
You’ve been recognized with multiple prestigious awards. What do you believe are the most critical skills or knowledge areas that the next generation of exhibition professionals needs to develop?
Robyn: It’s always an honor to be recognized, thank you.
That’s actually one of the big focus areas I suggest to emerging leaders: prioritizing your reputation from the very beginning of your career.
There’s a popular saying most people have probably heard, “people do business with people they know, like and trust.” I think, especially now, being a person others can know, like and trust is crucial.
To be more specific, I recommend emerging leaders focus on developing a sense of self-awareness (What are you great at? What do you struggle with?) so you can find the right opportunities to contribute. Also, practicing being brave enough to put yourself forward, rather than waiting for good opportunities to come to you, is another meaningful step in the right direction. I know that can be tough (even for me sometimes!), but it helps to remember: resilience is an important skill too. Sometimes, things won’t work out as intended and that’s okay… if you learn from your experience and grow as a result.
As someone who bridges advocacy, education and thought leadership, how do you see these different roles complementing each other in advancing the exhibitions profession?
Robyn: In my observation, trade show exhibitors are often overlooked, so there’s a real need for and overlap between each of these efforts.
For example, when participating in our ECA Legislative Action Day events, I’ve met staffers whose family members work in trade shows, so they know what we do well, and others who are totally unfamiliar with the concept of a trade show. The same is true when I speak to young professionals, even at our own industry events. Every time I meet someone who doesn’t know what a trade show is or what exhibiting entails, it makes me feel like I should be doing more.
As you know, exhibiting success is more than checking logistics boxes, but there still aren’t a lot of college classes that teach about trade shows. CEIR data says only 30% of organizers provide any “exhibitor education.” To be fair, it isn’t their responsibility to empower exhibitors, but it is in their best interest.
When more startups, small businesses and corporate marketers understand that there are simple (strategic) steps they can take to succeed at trade shows, and they work to improve show-after-show, it can be lifechanging. It has been very rewarding for me to see how helping exhibitors achieve their goals through trade shows can snowball quickly and impact their businesses, communities, and industries too.
You’re currently writing a book for new trade show exhibitors. What motivated this project and what do you hope readers will take away from it?
Robyn: I’m ready to scale my impact. My consulting and training services are gifted to exhibitors who may be feeling overwhelmed, lost and stressed while trying to tackle their trade show preparations. I love the shows and exhibitors I work with now, but I can see that so many more need help too.
My goal is to empower new exhibitors who wouldn’t have an opportunity to learn from me otherwise. In this book, they’ll discover what mistakes to avoid, what frameworks to follow, how to approach each of the most important exhibiting components strategically and more. They’ll see that exhibiting is an iterative process, so it’s not about being perfect this time, it’s about making the best choices you can now and then continuing to improve every single time you exhibit. They’ll earn confidence and results.
More importantly, there are plenty of bestselling marketing and sales books, but not so many trade show books. I think if this book can gain that sort of recognition, maybe more professionals will choose to study exhibiting, just like they study email marketing or social media and achieve more as a result. I think our industry deserves more recognition and respect and I want to help with that too.
Like the Community Engagement and Belonging Committee you asked me about at the beginning, I’ve been trying to share my author journey publicly. I want our industry to see this as our book, not just my book, so we can all benefit together.
