Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Bassitt.
Linda, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
We all want to find what our passion is and work in our “dream job”. Finding out what our dream exactly is may take a while, but I am fortunate enough to every day do exactly that. After college, I joined several young professional boards of philanthropic organizations (from Habitat for Humanity to Switchboard), and along with being surrounded by intelligent, inspiring persons my age, I also enjoyed the side of event organizing to raise money for our causes.
“What if I could be paid to do what I love doing for free?” I thought. A month after my search I was hired by a tire company who started a tire tradeshow in Latin America (the first of its kind in the region). It was a small show, and I had no idea about tires – but I dived in and learned all I could about what programs and software I needed to run the event and also on the companies that would want to participate.
In the first two years, I doubled the show size. And by the third year, the show had tripled and is the largest in all of South America in the tire industry. We also expanded to include an auto part tradeshow in Latin America and opened a full office and staff to run the shows.
I’ve traveled around the world for the tradeshows, from Germany to Peru, Chile, and around the US. As the now President of the company, I’ve experienced first hand how hard work at something you are passionate about can bring you internal and external happiness and success. Never give up on finding what you are meant to do.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As much as I try to “plan” (my job, after all, is being an “event planner”) I have learned to over-prepare and always have a Plan B in place. There will be at times a bump in the event (materials needed for the show go missing or do not arrive on time), but luckily, there is Amazon with their 2-day Prime shipping. Each year, changing the show in some way to retain exhibitor and visitor interest is important, and we need to switch up our marketing campaigns and program. Overall, the better one plans the better the show will be. It’s better to put in effort and time now to not have to spend even more time on something later.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Latin Expo Group story. Tell us more about the business.
I am the President at Latin Expo Group and Certified in Exhibition Management™ (CEM). We specialize in automotive related tradeshows in Latin America and the Caribbean and organize and own the largest in the region in the tire and auto parts industries. Started merely 10 years ago, we focus heavily on customer service and making sure we have the best B2B tradeshows – where business is truly made and closed on.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in good or bad luck, but rather that we create our own luck. We each day make choices that will lead us in the right directions (my professional success based on hard work and daily effort). And if something goes out of a plan, rather than blame it on a “bad” day I know that I can turn things around by changing my attitude and acting quickly. Never be defeated – the power to be a winner is in all of us if we try.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9830 SW 77th ave
Suite 215
Miami, FL 33156 - Website: www.latinexpogroup.com
- Phone: 786-293-5186
Image Credit:
Tania Cabal, Panama
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