Breaking the Cycle of Ego and “Seasoning” on the Show Floor
I’ll start with a confession: I have an ego. To my regular readers that should not be a surprise. In the tradeshow world, you almost have to have one to survive the load-in, but that same ego makes me wonder—if I’m already checking my rear view mirror at 41, how terrified is the 65-year-old veteran about letting go of the reins? We talk about “diversifying and defying,” but the hardest thing to defy is our own belief that the next generation is just a bunch of kids who can’t find a C-wrench without an app.
When I was in my 30s, I knew I was ready. I had the grit, the vision, and enough caffeine in my system to power a small city. Yet, I looked at the 22-year-old graduates with the exact same squinty-eyed suspicion my bosses had for me. We tell ourselves they lack that “little something” that mythical “seasoning” that only time (and maybe a few grey hairs) can provide. It is a loop of distrust that keeps our industry smelling like 1994.
The truth is, we are all scared of a future we don’t control. To a veteran who has spent more than 30 years building exhibits, “thinking outside the box” shouldn’t just be a design prompt; it should apply to the org chart. We are so busy looking for the “unicorn” successor—someone with more than 20 years of experience who is somehow still 30 to 35 years old—that we fail to see the talent standing right in front of us.
By the time I hit 50, I’ll probably be clutching my badge just as tight, looking at 40-year-olds like they’re interns. It is a human flaw, but in an industry that lives on innovation, it is a fatal one. If we don’t trust them to manage the floor and our businesses now, we aren’t “protecting” the legacy; we are just suffocating the flame. We need to stop asking if they are ready and start giving them the space to break things because that is usually how the best stuff gets built.
Let’s agree to widen our horizons and value what these new minds bring to the table. Otherwise, we’re just building expensive, beautiful booths for an industry that’s going to end up as empty as a hall on move-out day.
For me personally, to observe, work, and collaborate with the under 30 part of my team and all the youngins on the tradeshow floor is a privilege and gives me a boost in confidence. I can’t wait to learn more from them, their ways, and their views of life. Our future is well taken care of, and it gives me reassurance that we will be in great and better hands.
Paco Collazo is a designer and producer of international tradeshow exhibits and the founder of Happy Projects.
