Meet Glenda Brungardt,
Board Member of The Exhibitor Advocate
Glenda is a member of the strategic events team for HP Inc. As a strategic event manager, she is responsible for Tier 1 tradeshows and events. Glenda joined HP in August of 1977 and has been in tradeshows and events for the past 33+ years. During those 33+ years she has served on many councils and task forces for HP tradeshows/events and helped create and implement the HP’s Global Performance Measurement Program as well as a Sustainability Playbook for HP Event/Tradeshows. She is part of an HP-wide network of event marketing and technical professionals that focus on designing and creating end-to-end attendee-centric journeys while driving economies of scale to generate revenue, increase productivity, and help improve HP’s marketing investment around tradeshows/events. The members of the team are foremost brand advocates and best in class at execution of events, trade shows, and customer visits.
We sat down with Glenda recently, to learn more about her passion for this industry, and why she is an outspoken advocate for Exhibitor’s. We’re pleased to introduce you to Glenda Brungardt.
How did you become an Exhibit Marketer?
I had a manager who took a chance on me – she said I have a job for you that you have skills and a thought process that I cannot teach. But I can teach you the marketing aspect of it. I was in HR at the time and was the liaison to this specific marketing team. Hired in March and kicked off a 40-city roadshow that summer. Right place, right time and right manager!
How long have you been part of the industry and what made you stay involved over time?
Been in the industry 33+ years – for me it is a job I was meant to have. It is my passion. No two days are the same. I can use my creative side and my detailed side. Learning never stops – whether I am the one learning or I’m the one sharing my knowledge with others in the industry or my own HP colleagues.
What do you envision the future of this industry looks like?
More collaboration and seats at the table for all parts of the industry. The exhibitor needs to be part of the discussions happening and no longer just be looked at to pay the bill. Business models and ways of delivering the event need to change. Sustainability and inclusivity need to be part of the planning process and not just a feel-good thing to do. We need to find ways to minimize our environmental impact at events as well as ensuring all attendees attending our events feel included. The one-size fits all and mono-du-opolies business model of how events are run needs to be revamped. Tradeshows/events were held long before any of us were in the business and built from MANY small businesses coming together in a marketplace. As new technologies like AI become part of our planning tool kits, we also need to make sure we are using them in the right and authentic manner.
I think our industry is being right-sized once again….and the desire and need for face-to-face interactions is not going away. We just have to figure out how to contain the costs, change the model to be more inclusive and integrate technologies in a meaningful way.