The Luxury Outdoor Living podcast welcomes Megan Magana, show manager for the annual Pool Spa Patio Expo, a yearly show for pool, spa and deck professionals. It's being held in New Orleans, this year 2026, on November (Nov. 17–19) and returning to Las Vegas next year. Megan shares her career path into trade shows and explains the expo’s three pillars—education, networking, and products—offering certification courses, classroom sessions, and hands-on show-floor demos, plus 350+ exhibitors across pools, spas, patios, outdoor kitchens, and the co-located Deck Expo. The conversation emphasizes why homeowners should value builders who attend shows for updated product, code, and design knowledge, and how in-person connections and demos can’t be replicated online. They discuss awards, the new First Look Pavilion, Pool Nation hands-on training, and the Million Dollar Pool Design Challenge with live voting and a $10,000 prize.
00:00 Podcast Welcome
01:17 Meet Megan Magana
01:49 How Trade Shows Work
02:20 Megan Career Path
04:33 Trade Show War Stories
05:38 Joining Informa
07:51 Why Homeowners Care
09:34 Awards And First Show
11:16 Three Pillars Of Expo
13:25 Lazy River Lesson
18:00 In Person Beats Online
22:38 Classes And Speakers
25:32 Million Dollar Challenge
26:35 Design Challenge Format
27:23 Finalists Live Judging
30:35 Tools Not Renderings
32:06 Who Should Attend
36:58 Why Classes Aren't Recorded
38:33 Hands On Show Floor
40:46 Career Growth Stories
42:13 Beyond Pools Outdoors
44:50 Show Schedule Grind
46:02 Keep Learning Mindset
49:07 Rapid Fire Questions
51:03 Podcast Wrap Up
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör
Mike Farley. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Mike Farley och inte av,
eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.
