ER REPORT 2026
Compensation benchmarks, hiring trends, demand signals, and market intelligence across 27 industry positions.
What It Is
The definitive guide to exhibit and event industry roles.
Built for exhibit houses and experience event agencies.
Not adjacent industries. Not general marketing.
Just this industry.
- Experience tiers and base salary ranges
- Variable compensation structure
- Role definition and key responsibilities
- Common alternate titles
- Typical background and career path
- What separates good from great
The 27 Roles
Account Coordinator
Account Director
Account Executive
Account Manager
Business Development
Business Development Director
CAD Detailer
Creative Director
Design Director
Estimating Manager
Estimator
Event Manager
Exhibit Designer
Fabrication Manager
Fabrication Producer
Group Account Director
Group Design Director
Operations Manager
Procurement Manager
Producer
Production Manager
Program Manager
Project Manager
Sales Manager
Strategist
Technical Director
Warehouse Manager
For Hiring Managers
Hire with confidence.
Benchmark compensation before you post a role. Understand how the market defines the role at every experience level. Know what separates strong candidates from average ones.
Start a Search →For Candidates
Know your market value.
Understand where your role sits in the market. Know what your experience level should command. See the alternate titles your background qualifies for and what the path forward looks like.
View Current Opportunities →INSIDE THE REPORT
Role Definition
Oversees all technical aspects of exhibit and event projects from concept through completion. Leads technical design, engineering, and documentation. Collaborates across departments to ensure feasibility, quality, and compliance. Manages technical teams and resources to deliver innovative solutions on time and on budget.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead technical design and engineering
- Develop and review technical drawings
- Oversee CAD and documentation standards
- Coordinate with production and fabrication
- Manage technical teams and workflow
- Ensure code compliance and safety
- Problem solve technical challenges
- Improve processes and technical systems
Compensation Summary
Base Salary Range
Variable Compensation
Typically 10–20% of base salary. May include project bonuses tied to performance, profitability, or delivery.
Common Alternate Titles
- Director of Engineering
- Technical Design Director
- Engineering Manager
- Design Engineering Manager
Production Manager
What Separates Good From Great
The best Production Managers know what every active program needs before anyone asks. They are ahead of the schedule, not chasing it.
In the exhibit world, production problems compound quickly. A fabrication delay becomes a freight problem. A freight problem becomes an I&D problem. An I&D problem becomes a client call at 6am the morning of setup.
The Production Managers who build strong reputations are the ones who see the chain reaction early enough to break it, who communicate clearly when timelines shift, and who never let a preventable problem become someone else’s emergency.
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
The publisher of the ER Report and the only recruiting firm focused exclusively on the exhibit and event industry. For more than 25 years, we've helped companies hire and professionals advance across account management, creative, production, fabrication, business development, and operations.