Account Executive

Emerald; United States; Remote; USD 70,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited vacation

Flexible working locations

401(k) with company match

Medical/dental/vision coverage

Professional development (Toastmasters

Mental wellness tools

Job summary

Forge is seeking an Account Executive to drive new business in the HME/DME space and expand existing verticals. You will manage outbound prospecting, build a strong pipeline, and close deals across exhibit space, sponsorships, and digital solutions.

The role requires strategic relationship management, attendance at industry events, and collaboration with marketing, sales directors, and leadership to fuel portfolio growth. Travel 20–25% is expected.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of B2B sales experience in trade shows, media, industrial manufacturing, distribution, or related sectors.
• Proven track record of driving new business and meeting revenue goals in high-performance environments.
• Strong hunter mentality with success prospecting, cold calling, and closing new accounts.
• Ability to balance new business with long-term relationship management and retention.
• Willingness to travel 20–25% for industry events and customer meetings.

Responsibilities

• Drive aggressive new business development across HME, DME and emerging technology sectors.
• Identify and develop new category launches, industry verticals, and strategic growth opportunities.
• Maintain a disciplined outbound cadence through high-volume calling, email outreach, LinkedIn/social selling, and in-person meetings.
• Achieve and exceed revenue goals across exhibit space, sponsorship, digital media, and integrated marketing solutions.
• Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of prospects while growing and retaining existing customer relationships.
• Attend trade events, association meetings, and networking functions to represent Forge.
• Collaborate with Show/Sales Directors to develop strategic partnerships with associations, distributor groups, media partners, and industry organizations.
• Build credibility and trusted relationships with manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and key decision-makers.
• Identify market trends, competitive activity, customer needs, and whitespace opportunities to support portfolio expansion.
• Support new sector launches and long-term growth initiatives with leadership.
• Maintain accurate forecasting, pipeline management, and activity tracking in Salesforce and Gong.
• Partner cross-functionally with marketing, operations, and leadership to maximize customer experience and revenue opportunities.
• Assist customers through contracts, onboarding, payments, and show planning.
• Invest in industry knowledge, sales training, and professional development.

Skills

Hunter mentality

Prospecting

Consultative selling

Relationship management

Presentation skills

Tools

Salesforce

Gong

LinkedIn

a2z/Personify

Microsoft Office

Job description

At Forge, we strive to foster a diverse and inclusive community. We actively recruit and champion candidates who bring new perspectives from varied professional backgrounds and experiences, and we are intentional about ensuring a positive hiring experience for everyone. Our job postings don’t contain experience inflation, and most don’t require college degrees. Instead, they’re crafted to focus on outcomes and transferable experiences that are assessed in a structured interview process carried out by trained hiring teams.

The ideal candidate understands that success in industrial events goes far beyond transactional sales. This role requires a proactive sales professional who can aggressively prospect and close new exhibitors while strategically growing and retaining existing accounts through strong relationship management, industry engagement, and partnership development.

This individual will play a key role in driving the growth of existing sectors while helping launch and expand new verticals, categories, and strategic initiatives across the portfolio. Success in this position requires strong outbound sales discipline, consultative selling skills, and the ability to establish credibility with manufacturers, distributors, associations, and industry leaders.

The Account Executive will be expected to maintain a strong industry presence by attending trade events, networking functions, and association meetings while actively building relationships that strengthen Forge’s position within the HME/DME marketplace.

Responsibilities

• Drive aggressive new business development across HME, DME and emerging technology sectors.
• Identify and develop new category launches, industry verticals, and strategic growth opportunities that expand the portfolio footprint.
• Maintain a disciplined outbound sales cadence through high-volume calling, email outreach, LinkedIn/social selling, and in-person meetings.
• Achieve and exceed revenue goals across exhibit space, sponsorship, digital media, and integrated marketing solutions.
• Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of prospects while strategically growing and retaining existing customer relationships.
• Serve as a visible ambassador for the brand by attending industry events, association meetings, networking functions, and competitive shows.
• Work with Show/Sales Directors to develop strategic partnerships with associations, distributor groups, media partners, and industry organizations to support long-term portfolio growth.
• Build credibility and trusted relationships with manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and key decision-makers throughout the HME/DME ecosystem.
• Identify market trends, competitive activity, customer needs, and whitespace opportunities to support portfolio expansion and innovation.
• Collaborate closely with Show/Sales Directors and leadership to support new sector launches, sales strategies, and long-term growth initiatives.
• Maintain accurate forecasting, pipeline management, customer intelligence, and activity tracking within Salesforce and Gong.
• Partner cross-functionally with marketing, operations, and leadership teams to maximize customer experience and revenue opportunities.
• Assist customers through the full sales cycle including contracts, onboarding, payments, and show planning support.
• Continuously invest in industry knowledge, sales training, and professional development to strengthen market expertise and selling effectiveness.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of B2B sales experience within trade shows, media, industrial manufacturing, distribution, or related sectors.
• Proven track record of driving new business and achieving aggressive revenue goals in a high-performance sales environment.
• Strong hunter mentality with demonstrated success prospecting, cold calling, and closing new accounts.
• Ability to balance new business development with long-term relationship management and retention growth.
• Comfortable operating in a highly visible industry-facing role with regular networking and customer engagement.
• Experience working with associations, industry groups, or strategic partnerships strongly preferred.
• Strong CRM discipline and forecasting expertise; Salesforce proficiency required.
• Experience leveraging modern sales tools including LinkedIn, Gong, a2z/personify, and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Knowledge of MEDDIC or consultative sales methodologies preferred.
• Knowledge of industrial manufacturing, fasteners, construction, tooling, machinery, distribution, or supply chain sectors is highly desirable.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
• Highly organized, self-motivated, and able to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Willingness to travel approximately 20–25% for industry events, customer meetings, trade shows, and association engagement.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Target Compensation: $70,000-$75,000

Please note that this range reflects a reasonable estimate of the target compensation for this position. This range may ultimately vary based on a candidate’s qualifications and may be higher where required by applicable law.

We offer a competitive benefits package designed to strengthen our employees’ physical and mental health, including unlimited vacation for exempt employees, flexible working locations, 401(k) plan with a company match, medical/dental/vision coverage with inclusive provisions including transgender services and fertility benefits, parental and caregiver leave, dependent, commuter and FSA benefits, professional development programs like Toastmasters, and mental wellness tools.

About Forge

Forge’s talented and experienced teams grow our customers’ businesses 365 days a year with products that create connections, deliver content, and drive commerce. We produce over 140 annual events, create and deliver content through print and digital channels, and power commerce through our seamlessly integrated in-person and digital platforms and channels. For more information, please visit http://www.forgelive.com.