Gene Winther began his career in 1963, preparing theater sets in northern California, and in 1968 he started a business to provide holiday decorations for the streets of Sacramento. In 1970, he launched an exhibit company called Three Sixty Designers. The company expanded with great success, and in 1999, he created Expon Exhibits to focus on custom modular systems for the tradeshow and retail industry.
“I never felt that there was a day that I actually worked hard for a real living. I mean, I worked and it was sometimes hard, but I always loved this business,” said Winther. “When I got into the business, I realized that there was more to it than just building exhibits. I love meeting new people. I love marketing. And I love face-to-face, so it was always fun.”
Winther was a board member of Trade Show Exhibitors Association and served as the chairman of the first TS2 show. He was also very active with International Association of Exhibit Managers. In 1995 he joined EDPA and served on the board of directors until 2006. Winther served as president of EDPA in 2000, won the Ambassador Award in 2001 and served as the first chairman of the newly created EDPA Foundation in 2003. Winther’s major contributions to build membership, jump start the EDPA foundation to support education, and his enthusiasm about building the EDPA brand has been much-appreciated by the exposition industry. In 2013, Gene was awarded the Hazel Hays, the top honor bestowed by the EDPA for his service to the trade show industry.
Gene passed away a earlier this year from medical complications attributed to a cardiac event and is survived by wife Linda of 56 years and granddaughter Morgan. Gene and Linda lost their only son Cris about two years go.
