Latest / The Comeback Career Podcast with Fexingo: Returning After a Gap, Stay-at-Home Re-Entry / How a Career Gap Helped One Parent Return as a Trade Show Coordinator
Transcript
- Lucas: So today we're looking at a career path that I think a lot of listeners might not have considered: trade show coordination. It's one of those roles that sits at the intersection of logistics, marketing, and sales support—and it turns out to be surprisingly friendly to returners. Luna: Surprisingly friendly how? I mean, trade shows are high-pressure, right? Tight deadlines, lots of moving parts. Lucas: Exactly. But that pressure is project-based. You're not managing a continuous workflow—you're managing discrete events. Each show has a clear start and end date. And that structure actually plays well for someone who's been out of the workforce, because you can point to specific deliverables: I coordinated the booth logistics for a three-day conference, I managed the shipping of materials, I trained the booth staff. Luna: So it's easier to demonstrate impact than, say, a role that's more ambiguous. Lucas: Right. And we have a concrete example. Maria Gonzalez—she had been a corporate event planner before taking a seven-year gap after her twins were born. When she was ready to return, she didn't try to go back to the same role at a big agency. She targeted trade show coordination specifically. Luna: What made her choose that? Lucas: She told us that during her gap, she was volunteering heavily with her kids' school—organizing the annual fundraiser, managing the sign-ups for the book fair. And she realized she was essentially doing event management, just in a different context. She looked at job boards and saw that trade show coordinator roles often listed 'event management experience' as a requirement, not 'corporate event management experience.' That distinction mattered. Luna: So she reframed her volunteer work explicitly in her resume. Did she add any credentials? Lucas: She did. She earned two certifications during her gap: the Certified Meeting Professional—CMP—and the Certified in Exhibition Management, or CEM. Both are recognized in the events industry. She studied for them during nap times and after the kids went to bed. Total cost was under two thousand dollars, and she says it was the single best investment she made. Luna: Two thousand for both? That's not nothing, but compared to a degree or a bootcamp, it's pretty reasonable. Lucas: Very reasonable. And it signaled to employers that she was serious and current. She got an interview at a mid-sized medical device company—about eight hundred employees. The hiring manager later told her that the certifications were what got her resume pulled from the stack. Luna: Interesting. So the gap itself wasn't a dealbreaker because she had recent, relevant credentials. What was the interview like? Lucas: She said the most important moment was when the hiring manager asked about her seven-year gap. She didn't apologize. She said, 'I took intentional time to raise my children, and during that time I stayed active in event management through volunteer work and earned my CMP and CEM. I'm now fully available and excited to bring that experience to a corporate setting.' She practiced that answer. Luna: That's a great example of framing. She turned what could have been a liability into evidence of her organizational skills and commitment. Lucas: Exactly. And she got the job. She's been a trade show coordinator there for about two years now, managing roughly twelve shows a year across North America. She says the role is perfect for her because it's cyclical—she can plan her life around the show schedule, and when a show hits, it's all-hands-on-deck for a few weeks, then things calm down. Luna: That work-life fit is something a lot of returners are looking for. Trade show coordination seems to offer that without being a part-time or junior role. Lucas: Right. And the pay is solid. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for meeting, convention, and event planners is about fifty-six thousand dollars. But trade show coordinators at mid-to-large companies often earn more—in the sixty-five to eighty thousand range, depending on the industry. Maria started at seventy-two thousand. Luna: That's a solid re-entry salary. So what's the key takeaway for someone listening who's thinking, 'I have a gap, I used to plan events, but I'm not sure about trade shows'? Lucas: I think the lesson is to look for roles that are project-based and credential-friendly. Trade show coordination is just one example. There are similar paths in conference logistics, corporate training coordination, even some types of marketing operations. The key is to identify roles where the hiring manager cares more about your ability to execute a specific, bounded task than about your continuous employment history. Luna: And where certifications can bridge the gap. Lucas: Exactly. Maria's CMP and CEM weren't expensive or time-consuming, but they were recognized. She also networked—she joined the local chapter of Meeting Professionals International, attended a few events, and met someone who worked at the medical device company. That connection didn't directly get her the job, but it gave her insider knowledge about the company's culture and the role. Luna: So networking plus credentials plus reframing. That's a powerful combination. Lucas: It is. And it's something anyone can do, regardless of their previous field. The specific certifications will differ, but the strategy is the same. You know, on that note, we get a lot of listeners who tell us these episodes have helped them think through their own return to work strategy. And that's exactly why we make this show. Luna: Yeah, and we intentionally keep it ad-free. No sponsors, no commercials. It's just us and the stories. Lucas: Right. And if that model resonates with you, the best way to support it is through listener contributions. You can go to buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It helps us keep doing what we're doing. Luna: And we appreciate that. So back to Maria—she also mentioned that one of her first trade shows after returning was a major industry event, and she had to coordinate the shipment of a prototype that weighed over four hundred pounds. She said it was nerve-wracking but she nailed it. Lucas: That's a great example of the concrete challenges you face in this role. And it's the kind of story that shows employers you can handle pressure. She says now she's the go-to person for the company's most complex shows, and she's been promoted to senior coordinator. Luna: Love that. So if someone's listening and thinking about this path, what's the first step they should take? Lucas: I'd say look up the CMP or CEM requirements, or if you're in a different industry, find the equivalent credential. Then start attending local industry association meetings. You don't need to have the job yet to network—you can just say you're exploring a return to the field. People are surprisingly open to helping. Luna: And update your resume to highlight any volunteer event work, even if it's from a PTA or a church group. Lucas: Exactly. Frame it as project management. List the budget you managed, the number of attendees, the vendors you coordinated. Those are transferable skills. And practice your gap explanation until it feels natural. Luna: Solid advice. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. And to our listeners, we hope this gives you a new angle to consider. We'll be back next time with another comeback story.