Ep. 46 – Marsha Flanagan on Taking the Helm as IAEE President & CEO

After 11 years with the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), Marsha Flanagan was promoted to president and CEO in November, and she officially took the helm on Dec. 1, during the move-in of the association’s largest event of the year. 

In this episode of Trade Show Talk, Flanagan shared her experience as a 25+ year association professional. She and Podcast Host Danica Tormohlen talked about the recent IAEE Expo! Expo! Annual Meeting & Exhibition, dubbed The Show for Shows. Held Dec. 5-7 at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center Dallas, Expo!Expo! 2023 grew year over year, attracting 1,900+ industry professionals (pending verified audit), compared with 1,476 in 2022, and 241 exhibitors in 35,500 net square feet, compared with 233 exhibitors in nearly 31,000 net square feet in 2022. 

In her first podcast as IAEE president and CEO, Flanagan told us the IAEE team beat all the event’s goals set by its board of directors. While the numbers are still being crunched, Expo!Expo! 2023 might be one of the association’s largest trade shows in terms of revenue on record, she revealed.

We also talked about:

• Her decision to apply for the position and the support from her family

• How she ended up in the event industry after deciding law school wasn’t the right career path for her

• What it means to her to be the first woman to lead the 95-year-old association whose members are 65%+ female

• How and why the association deployed new event tech, like Zenus, to improve the attendee experience with data-driven metrics

• What’s first on her agenda as she begins her new role: Filling her previous position, succession planning and restructuring

• Reflections on achievements in 2023 and challenges as the industry gets set to begin 2024

• What she learned from her predecessor, David DuBois, and how she plans to create a culture of belonging, passion and purpose

Our guest

As IAEE’s president, Flanagan is responsible for the management of IAEE’s full-time professional staff, producing the annual business operating plan and budget, overseeing the support of all meetings of governance units, leading business development, directing fundraising efforts, advocating for the industry and the organization’s members, providing organizational leadership and strategic counsel to the board. Also, she serves as the association’s representative with industry coalitions, partner organizations and strategic alliances.

Prior to joining IAEE, Flanagan was the Director of Content Strategy and Development at the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), where she was responsible for steering strategy and the development and delivery of all PPAI professional development and editorial offerings.

Flanagan spent 6 years in the medical industry serving in various roles overseeing operations, purchasing, revenue cycle management, marketing and business development.

Flanagan began her career with Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and spent 12 years in various roles including Executive Vice President of Professional Development where she oversaw operations, including all strategic partnerships, the design and delivery of all professional development offerings and meetings management.

She was named one of the 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry by Successful Meetings in 2017 and named to BizBash’s Inaugural Top 500 in the Events Industry in 2018 and 2019. In 2021, she was listed in Meetings Today as a 2021 Trendsetter. In 2021, she obtained her GBAC Trained Technician Certificate of Completion from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a division of ISSA.

Flanagan received her bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University and her master’s in education from the University of Arkansas specializing in Meeting, Tourism and Recreation Management. She obtained her Certified in Exhibition Management designation in 2021.

Flanagan is a 5th generation Texan, loves sports and the outdoors and spending time with family.