7 Books You Need to Read to Win at Event Marketing

Event marketing is a competitive and driven field, meaning it's vital for professionals to have the experience and skillset they need to navigate any obstacles they come across.

Events are probably one of the least predictable areas of marketing. Even with the best-laid plans, you can never be 100% sure what will happen during the event, who will turn up, what their reaction will be, or how it will be received online.

This means having a strong event marketing strategy in place is essential as it can help you react and navigate any problems that do occur. In order to build the best strategy, it's important that you have all the latest industry insights at your disposal.

Here are seven books that will help you win at event marketing:

Event Planning Tips: The Straight Scoop on How to Run a Successful Event - Natalie Johnson

If you're looking at expanding your experience from other areas to event marketing for the first time, Natalie Johnson's book is a fantastic way to find your feet. It will equip you with the core skills you need to host a well-planned, sophisticated event, whether you've got five or 500 attendees on the list.

Concisely running through the importance and details of planning, marketing strategies and organization, it's a streamlined guide that will help you get started and give you the confidence to make the most of your next event.

The Accidental Creative: How to be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice - Todd Henry

Getting creative is something that event marketers need to do. Whether it's coming up with an engaging new event marketing strategy or just thinking of an on-the-spot solution, it's key to success. But have you ever sat down and thought about how you can nurture this element of your personality?

Too many of us neglect our creativity, even when it's a crucial element of our jobs, expecting it to work perfectly when we need it but forgetting about it the rest of the time. Todd Henry discusses exactly this in The Accidental Creative, encouraging professionals to consciously develop their own creative skills and break out of the everyday monotony.

The Business of Event Planning: Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Successful Special Events - Judy Allen

The amount of work that goes into planning a successful event can be incredibly overwhelming. Whether you've hosted multiple but were a hot mess doing so or are dreading your very first, understanding the process that goes into event marketing is a big step towards making it a success.

Judy Allen's book gives you a guided tour through the different elements that go into a well-planned and effective event. Explaining each aspect and why it's a necessary part of event marketing, this read will give you a much more comprehensive understanding of how to turn event planning into a business process.

Sustainable Event Management: A Practical Guide - Meegan Jones

The fact that this book is on its third edition goes some way to explain how relevant the topics are to the industry. As more pressure is being placed on businesses to take responsibility for the impact they are having on the planet, event marketers need to prove that they're doing their bit too.

Meegan Jones looks at the very latest developments and guidelines for how events can be made more eco-friendly. Whether you're hosting an international festival or planning a small-scale conference, Jones has plenty of practical and valuable advice on how to make your event a success while limiting its environmental impact. 

Planning and Management of Meetings, Expositions, Events and Conventions - George G. Fenich

From financing an event to actually pulling it off, George Fenich explains it all. His modern approach to events marketing covers a wide range of topics, including how to comply with Business Events Competency Standards (MBECS).

From expositions to conventions, Planning and Management of Meetings is a valuable resource that is often used as a core part of college courses and employee training. There's also insight from other leading experts to give you one of the most comprehensive views of event planning.

Event Planning: The Ultimate Guide To Successful Meetings, Corporate Events, Fundraising Galas, Conferences, Conventions, Incentives and Other Special Events - Judy Allen

There's a long list of events in the title of Judy Allen's second book on this list, but for good reason. This bestseller is a comprehensive guide on how to host your next event, complete with checklists and forms as well as the normal tips and tricks. It's a significant but complementary next step from The Business of Event Planning and requires a good foundational understanding of events management to get the most out of it.

Having managed her own event management company for a number of years, she is widely recognized as one of the industry's leading voices on the subject. Who better to take advice from?

The Business of Events Management - John Beech, Sebastian Kaiser and Robert Kaspar

Based on case studies from real events, The Business of Events Management is a practical introduction to the industry. Three international experts have teamed up to compose the book, which covers the very latest in industry insight and key theories for how to develop your own event.

This advice is put into a very practical scenario in each chapter, helping readers to understand the real-world implications of the planning and management involved in hosting an event.