Congratulations to recent #CEM graduate Dain Richardson, CEM of Messe Muenchen South Africa! Read about Dain’s CEM experience and how it broadened her knowledge in conducting exhibitions and conferences!
Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa
How has the CEM designation helped in your career?
The CEM has helped me gain a greater understanding of industry and helped me broaden my knowledge in conducting exhibitions and conferences.
Why is it important to maintain the CEM designation?
We are in a continuously evolving industry, by maintaining the CEM designation, we are ensuring that we are always on top of the industry and we are compliant to global standards.
What made you want to obtain your CEM designation?
As I have been in the trade fair industry for over 7 years, this was an ideal opportunity to “brush up” on my knowledge and allow me to further my career by understanding conferences and consumer exhibitions.
What advice would you give to an aspiring individual who wants to apply for the CEM program?
Take your time and read through what your peers have to say. We are all in different parts of industry and each person has a story to tell. Your peers can help you in their experience, as well as support you throughout the course.
How did you start your career in this industry?
I started in sales & marketing for a trade show that was launching in South Africa. We lost our Operations Manager a few months prior to the show opening, so I learnt very quickly on how the overall show was brought together. Five years later I worked my way up to a Senior Exhibition Manager.
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?
The course has helped my gain a better understanding in how to negotiate with venues and hotels, helping out the internal team and meeting the requirements of the brands we represent.
What was it that you did or implemented right after obtaining your CEM?
Stronger communication channels and internal reporting systems with my team on budgets and marketing.
What did you like most about the CEM Learning Program?
The interaction with my peers. The group we had were all members of leading organising companies, so the discussions were all relatable as we use the same venues, security, stand builders etc. it was also reassuring to see that we were all learning something new and useful over the 8 months of the course
