EXHIBITORLIVE Celebrates Fifty-Two New CTSM Designations, Surpassing Five Hundred Total

ROCHESTER, Minn., Feb. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Exhibitor Media Group, the award-winning leader in trade show and corporate event marketing education, today announced that during an exclusive CTSM graduate dinner and awards ceremony Sunday evening, 52 Certified Trade Show Marketer (CTSM) recipients were officially recognized for achieving certification in 2015.

Often equated to a graduate degree in event marketing, the CTSM designation is awarded by EXHIBITOR in affiliation with Northern Illinois University Outreach and reflects adherence to the highest educational standards of trade show and event marketing. This year's combined graduates earned CTSM designation and bronze, silver, gold and diamond level certifications. 

This year marks the first time the number of new CTSM graduates has exceeded 50 in one year. Since the program's inauguration in 1992, the number of credentialed CTSM graduates has reached 521. 

"Having been involved with the program since its inception, I am overjoyed that we have exceeded a total of 500 CTSM graduates, and I am enormously proud of every single one," commented Jan Nelson, CTSM gold level, executive director, Exhibitor Media Group's CTSM program. "Each graduate committed to a significant amount of time and hard work to achieve the CTSM credential." 

This year, two graduates attained the highest CTSM diamond, joining an elite group of ten other CTSM diamond level achievers. They are Dominique Cook, trade show manager for Marvin Windows and Doors, Eagan, MN, and Dana Tilghman, senior trade show and events planner for Minitab, State College, PA.

"Dominique and Dana are two gems who have been continuing to return and learn since originally being certified," added Nelson. "In addition to that, they have been serving the CTSM program and the tradeshow/event industry as a whole with many professional contributions. Both of them have acted as advisors to others in the program, and both have spoken at an EXHIBITOR learning event."

More than 3,000 corporate professionals are currently enrolled in the program. CTSM graduates report an average salary increase of $12,662 over non-certified colleagues. A complete listing of the graduates can be found at http://www.exhibitoronline.com/ctsm/ctsmgraduates.asp.

EXHIBITOR Magazine's EXHIBITORLIVE, the training conference for trade show exhibit and event managers and marketers, is taking place February 29 - March 3, 2016 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The industry's highest-rated training conference features seven learning tracks and 180 sessions focusing on all aspects of trade show exhibit and event marketing and management. All conference registrants will have full access to the EXHIBITORLIVE exhibit hall, North America's largest that features trade show and event products and services. 

Full registration for the EXHIBITORLIVE conference and exhibition is still available on site.

About Exhibitor Media Group
The leader in trade show and corporate event marketing education, Exhibitor Media Group publishes the award-winning EXHIBITOR magazine, a monthly publication featuring best practices in trade show marketing.  EXHIBITOR'S Learning Events include: EXHIBITORLIVE, the training conference for trade show exhibit and event managers and marketers; EXHIBITORFastTrak accelerated learning conferences; and EXHIBITOR eTrak professional online learning. Exhibitor Media Group is the founder and sponsor of CTSM (Certified Trade Show Marketer), the world's only university-affiliated professional certification program. (www.ExhibitorOnline.com) Follow EXHIBITOR on Facebook, Twitter (@EXHIBITOR) and join EXHIBITOR's LinkedIn discussion group. 

EXHIBITOR is a registered trademark, and EXHIBITORLIVE, EXHIBITORFastTrak, and EXHIBITOR eTrak, are trademarks of Exhibitor Publications, Inc. in the USA and other countries. All company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160111/320879LOGO

SOURCE Exhibitor Media Group