The job in one paragraph
An exhibition organiser brings two groups together in one hall: companies that want to sell (exhibitors) and people who want to buy or learn (visitors). The organiser books the venue, sells the floor space, persuades the right visitors to come, and makes sure the three show days run safely and on time. Most of the money comes from exhibitors paying for space and sponsors paying for visibility, so a show only lasts if exhibitors meet enough good buyers to come back next year.
The year, stage by stage
Most trade shows run once a year or every two years. The stages below overlap, and on a small team the same person does several of them.
1. Planning and the venue (12 to 24 months out)
The organiser picks the dates, checks them against competing shows and public holidays, and books the venue. Big halls book up years ahead. The team sets the budget, the floor plan and the price list (the rate card) for space and sponsorship.
2. Sales (most of the year)
Selling space is the core of the business. The sales team works through lists of companies in the sector, meets them, and books them onto the hall plan. Much of the next show is sold during the current one, when exhibitors rebook on site. Sponsorship sales run alongside: naming rights, sponsored areas, lanyards, speaking slots.
3. Marketing and visitor promotion (6 months out to opening)
Exhibitors pay to meet buyers, so the organiser has to deliver them. Visitor promotion means email campaigns to the show database, advertising, social media, work with trade associations and media partners, and invitations that exhibitors send to their own customers. Visitors pre-register online, which gives the team a daily count of who is coming. Many shows also run business matching, where meetings between exhibitors and buyers are arranged in advance.
4. Operations (3 months out to breakdown)
Operations turns the hall plan into a working show. The team writes the exhibitor manual, appoints contractors for stands, power, furniture, cleaning and security, and checks stand designs against the venue's safety rules. They plan registration, signage, the seminar programme, catering and first aid. Build-up usually takes one to three days before opening; breakdown is faster.
5. Show days
On show days the organiser's team is on the floor from early morning: opening the registration desks, handling exhibitor requests, fixing power faults, looking after speakers and VIPs, running the opening ceremony, and dealing with whatever goes wrong. It is also when the sales team signs rebookings for the next edition.
6. After the show
The work continues for weeks: paying suppliers, collecting outstanding invoices, surveying exhibitors and visitors, and writing the post-show report with visitor numbers and profiles. That report becomes the main sales tool for the next edition, and the cycle starts again.
Typical roles
- Sales manager or sales executive: sells space and sponsorship, looks after exhibitor accounts.
- Marketing manager: brand, visitor promotion, digital campaigns, media partners.
- Operations manager: venue, contractors, exhibitor manual, safety, show-day logistics.
- Project manager or show manager: owns one show end to end, with the budget and the timeline.
- Conference producer: builds the conference and seminar programme, finds and briefs speakers.
- Exhibitor services and registration: answer exhibitor questions, run badges and visitor data.
Job titles differ from company to company. On a small team one person may cover sales and project management at once.
Skills that matter
- Selling and relationships. Most revenue comes from repeat exhibitors, so trust built over years counts.
- Organisation. Hundreds of deadlines, orders and suppliers have to land in the same week.
- Calm under pressure. Show days never go exactly to plan.
- Languages. In Thailand and across Asia, English plus a local language is a real advantage; Chinese, Japanese or Korean help at international shows.
- Numbers. Space sold per square metre, cost per visitor, budget against actuals.
- Knowing the sector. A dental show and a green-tech festival need very different contacts.
Getting into the industry in Thailand and Asia
There is no single entry route. Common ones:
- Study. Several Thai universities teach MICE or event management, often within tourism and hospitality faculties. A degree in business, marketing or languages is just as common among organisers.
- Internships. Organisers, venues and event agencies take interns, often around their busiest shows. Working a show floor is the fastest way to learn.
- Entry-level roles. Sales coordinator, marketing assistant, operations assistant and registration staff are the usual first jobs.
- Moving across. People join from hotels, advertising, media or the industry the show serves.
- Industry bodies. TCEB, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, is the government agency that promotes business events in Thailand and runs MICE education and training programmes. Trade associations for exhibition organisers and UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry, also publish research and run events for young professionals.
A good first step is to visit trade shows in your own field as a trade visitor, with the trade show glossary in your pocket, and watch how they are run.
Try it in a game
Expo Tycoon is a free phone game made by our team. You start with one table in a meeting room and build up to exhibition halls in Bangkok, Singapore and Macao. It simplifies a lot, but the loop is the real one: sign exhibitors, badge the queue at the registration desk, place sponsors and look after their VIPs, fix the dead mic, and collect rebooking contracts after the show. Then you hire a team, so the show runs without you.
Want to see the money side? Try the booth cost calculator from an exhibitor's point of view.