by Marlena Sullivan, Exhibit City News
How do you know that tradeshows are right for you?
For Iman McFarland, it was not until she had completed a business course for a non-business major while attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Entrepreneurial spirit sparked she approached her parents with an offer, “Great idea. Turns out, I like business. And it turns out, we have a business. What do you think about me joining the family business?”
Her parents respectfully declined.
For many companies across the tradeshow industry, family is literal. Children take over for parents, and legacies are interwoven into the fiber of the ecosystem. While many families may be ecstatic to bring their children into their company, there are those who are hesitant. Afterall, how can anyone be certain that this industry is the one for them?
Iman grew up in the tradeshow industry. Her earliest memory of the industry was when she was about four or five years old, sitting on her father’s shoulders at his first tradeshow for 21st Century Expo Group. “There are pictures of me napping in a bin of drapes, and excited to be on the show floor.” It was her playground, where she could travel to amazing cities and build forts in the warehouse. Still, it was not her intention nor her dream to take over the family business until that class.
The tradeshow industry is that of relationships and grit. One must prove that they are a good partner to do business with, through conversation and action. Without either any business could fail, but it’s for that reason that the industry is as tight knit as it is. Earn the respect and the respect will let you grow.
Iman began working in the tradeshows per the suggestion of her parents. She began at a few General Service Contractor companies, and then moved on to Destination DC. “If I had the opportunity, I would have worked in more parts of the industry: an AV company, or a custom exhibit house. I would have liked to build a larger wealth of knowledge for myself. It’s so important to understand the entire scope of how it all works together. It makes me a better employee, as well as an employer.”
She’s fortunate enough to have a company filled with diverse individuals who can supplement their knowledge to support her own. She is the perfect mix of her parents. The innovation and vision of her father and the fiscally mindful and operation focus of her mother.
Iman worked and proved herself, becoming a member of 21st Century Expo Group, and ultimately becoming an owner. She sits on the board of the Exhibitions and Events Workforce Development Federation. She has helped her parents continue their General Contract services but has a passion to expand their business even further. It allows her to flex her creativity and innovation.
Her parents have loved the new direction. “They’re in awe. They’re excited. It gives them piece of mind that I will survive, that the legacy will survive this crazy industry.”
In a business where anything could change on the drop of a hat, her parents have found their trust in her as a business owner. She acts as a generational bride, between the Old and New Guard, between parent and child. She is a translator for the new world, and constantly striving for growth. Nimble and willing, she has faced challenges head on and utilized the relationships her parents planted and cultivated them further.
In the next 30 years there will be another generational shift. The Old Guard will begin to phase out and the gap that is left in their wake must be filled. For every new hire that is taught and brought to fall in love with the industry, there is another future CMO, CFO, CEO, or Board President. For every individual that is supported, there a intern waiting to be taught in the distant future.
“I’m hooked,” Iman said. “I’ve been living and breathing tradeshows for 33 years. I’m as excited as I was when I was a child looking at the exhibits light up in color. My goal is to bring in as many new and diverse individuals into this industry as I can.”
How do you know if tradeshows are right for you? You may not know. Maybe it’s your parent’s business. Maybe it was something cool you saw at a tradeshow you were invited to. Maybe you like AV or graphics or design. Maybe you like building things and production work makes you tick. Maybe you love traveling. Maybe you want to find an industry where when someone knows your name, you feel seen. And know they will support you and they will believe in you.
Whatever the reason you may have, all it takes is a single spark to ignite the desire to try.
This story originally appeared as a truncated version in the Q1 2025 issue of Exhibit City News, p. 50. For original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/ecn_q1_2025/50.
