Pros
This is a great place to learn the basic skills needed in the trade show industry. SmithBucklin is a great resume builder and will help you easily get another event planning job. I was told I was overqualified coming from SmithBucklin, even though I didn't have the years of experience my current job was asking for.
Cons
They work you like a dog and most people only stay here about a year. When you tell them that you're overwhelmed, they don't do anything to even out your workload. As an associate, you rarely get to go on site for any of your trade shows which is very frustrating. You have three or four managers you report to and none of them know how much work you are receiving from your other managers. You're too busy to get to enjoy your co-workers. There were many days where you needed to skip your lunch when you were close to a trade show. The turn over rate is astronomical and then they don't hire new staff so you're required to do even more work. You will not have a work/life balance.
