Sam Edidin Jankowski, 31, works in Chicago as a relationship manager at SmithBucklin. As a 2019 40 Under 40 honoree, Jankowski discusses her passion for the events industry.
*Connect with Jankowski on Twitter.
What I do: I help my client organizations create and implement strategic sales plans; identify exhibition, sponsorship and advertising opportunities; and develop and sustain long-term relationships with key decision makers and influencers in the vendor buyer community.
How I got here: After college, I joined AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps and traveled the west coast for a year volunteering at a variety of nonprofit organizations. After AmeriCorps, I worked on nonprofits’ events and then joined SmithBucklin to manage sales services for associations.
Greatest career accomplishment: This past year, I was inducted in the SmithBucklin Sales Services Summit Club, which recognizes sales services managers whose clients are at least 105 percent to their sales budget for the year. Additionally, I just completed an event during which our team received resounding feedback from our vendor partners about the great experience they had this year and how our team had gone above and beyond in customer service.
Impressive stats: One client, a healthcare association, achieved a 45 percent increase in sponsorship revenue from 2017 to 2018 as a result of a strategic sponsorship plan that I helped to develop and implement. Another client, a professional trade association, experienced a 16 percent increase in revenue from 2018 to 2019 as a result of a strategic exhibit sales plan that I helped to create and execute.
What I am working on now: I am working with an association this year that has committed to a completely different approach to its annual event, and is steering away from the traditional trade show model. I am excited to have the opportunity to develop strategic initiatives that support the new approach with the goal of providing our attendees with a truly unique event experience.
What I do outside of work: Currently, I am pursuing my MBA from Roosevelt University in Chicago. Outside of work, I try to travel as much as possible. I also love photography, and actually entered college with the intent to major in photography before I changed it to sociology.
