"Trade Show and Event Marketing" by Ruth Stevens

Review by Peter DeLegge

In many ways, putting together a successful trade show program is similar to putting together a successful Broadway play. It's a lot harder than it looks.

Over the course of my career, I have managed or been been involved in more than one hundred trade shows. Rarely are they straight-forward, simple matters.

Doing a trade show or event well requires a wide range of abilities: budgeting, coordinating calendars, show selection, logistics, marketing planning (pre-, at- and post- show promotion), booth staff training and management, lead management, creating and managing publicity opportunities, post show follow-up and analysis...And I'm sure I'm leaving a lot out. But that's okay, because Ruth Stevens didn't leave anything out.

Stevens book is comprehensive and offers solid advice. "Trade Show and Event Marketing" is the closest thing I've seen to a definitive guide on trade show and event marketing. Whether you are a junior-level member of the marketing staff straight out of school or a veteran, this book deserves a place on your shelf -- or, if you are a trade show manager or an event manager, on your desk. It's the kind of book you'll turn to regularly for reference. I'd say more, but, if you even do only one trade show a year, buying this book is a no-brainer. Get it.

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