What Keeps People in the Trade Show Industry for Life with Bobby Diehl | EB 074

There are over 10,000 trade shows a year in the US, and in 2025 alone they sparked $168 billion in business-to-business sales from encounters on the show floor. Yet one in three people working in the industry is new to it in the last five years, and most young people have never heard of it as a viable career. Chris Griffin sits down with Bobby Diehl, Director of Operations at Genesis Exhibits and a second-generation industry pro, to talk about what a career in trade shows is really like. They cover how to break in, why the work rewards curiosity and connections over hard skills, why there's never a dull moment, and the wow moments along the way, from an Andy Warhol at JP Morgan to the first-ever soccer match on the grounds of the United Nations. The headline they didn't expect: the real value of trade shows is the people, the families it supports, and the lifelong friendships it builds, even among competitors. Key Topics & Timestamps 01:13 - Meet Bobby Diehl 02:17 - Breaking Into the Industry 06:33 - Mistakes and Problem Solving 10:02 - Why Trade Shows Matter 17:06 - Day to Day and Wow Moments 32:45 - Why This Industry Matters 34:43 - Friendships and Giving Back 42:05 - Hiring and Career Advice 47:14 - Episode Outro Memorable Quotes "The beauty of it is there's something for everybody." — Bobby "You realize what we do is we help the world trade." — Chris "Ask very successful people what makes them happy, it's not money. It's about connection." — Bobby 🔗 Resources: Learn about the EDPA Future Leaders Program: https://www.edpa.com/futureleaders Need Help With An Event? Get in touch with CrewXP: https://www.crewxp.com/contact Watch On YouTube:    / @experiencebuilders   Follow Us On Social: LinkedIn:   / ts-crew   Facebook:   / your.trade.show.partner   Have Questions? Email us: [email protected] 👤 More from Bobby Diehl: Genesis Exhibits: https://www.exhibitsbygenesis.com/ LinkedIn:   / robert-diehl-44830ba6   👤 More from Chris: CrewXP: https://www.crewxp.com/ Email: [email protected] LinkedIn:   / chrisgriffin407   👤 More from Khalil: benali.com: http://benali.com Email: [email protected] LinkedIn:   / khalilbenali   Instagram:   / hirebenali   #ExperienceBuilders #ExperientialMarketing #TradeShowLife #TradeShows #CareerChange #EventProfs #ExhibitDesign