Spiro·naut Feature: Dale Dlugos
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Proposal & Marketing Manager, Dale Dlugos, loves collecting the logos from the newest members of our client community. With over three decades of experience, Dale speaks about his experience in the events industry, how he came to be a part of the team, and the moments that keep things exciting.
Coming to you from Pittsburgh, take a glimpse into Dale’s world—both in and outside of work.
What superpower do you bring to work?
Every day, I just hope for God to grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. So far, so good!
How do you refine and sharpen your skills?
I take a lot of naps. 😂
In all seriousness, I like reading posts and articles on various online sources like the Spiro™ and GES intranets and LinkedIn. The people in my professional network, both inside and outside the company, have a lot of great business insights to share.
What excites you about your work and our industry?
As a proposal manager, I am part of the process of attempting to win new business for the company. What gets me pumped up is learning of our successes when we land new contracts and collecting new logos with clients we have not worked with before. It's truly a team sport and I love collaborating with others across various specialties to achieve such wins.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve done or place you’ve visited?
Personally, I'd say it's a four-way tie between Paris, London, Nice, and St. Martin.
Professionally, I found it to be very cool to attend the GES Sales Meeting in 2016 in Las Vegas. That occurred just a few weeks after I started with the company, and it was a great opportunity to meet many of my co-workers in-person from all over the world and to learn about the various operations of the organization. I hope we do something similar soon!
What makes Spiro stand out from other agencies?
Compared to other past employers in my 30+ year career, I can honestly say that the people at GES & Spiro are the best co-workers I've ever had the pleasure of working with. When the pandemic hit in 2020, I was among the many that were laid off. I found another good job, but I felt very compelled to come back to GES in 2021 when I was presented with that opportunity.
What’s an interesting fact that people may be surprised to learn about you?
In 2015, I made a bold professional move to change industries for the first time in my career. After 25+ years working as a marketing/proposal manager in the engineering industry, I came to GES. It was daunting at first, not knowing anything about the trade show exhibit industry, but I was able to learn quickly as my co-workers from all corners of the business were very helpful (and patient) at getting me up to speed.
What else would you like to share from your world?
I am humbled to say I was fortunate to be awarded a Viad Xcellence Award in 2016 for New Team Member of the Year. I’m my own harshest critic, so it reassured me that I must be doing something right! (On a side note, Viad [our parent company] needs to bring back those awards!)
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