'Marketing Your Event Planning Business: A Creative Approach to Gaining the Competitive Edge' by Judy Allen
"I enjoyed reading this book by Judy Allen," says Eva Gouldbourne, a wedding and event planner at Chicago's Diamond Events. "This book has many specific examples of how to get the kind of business you want and avoid doing things that will make you stand out negatively."
Photo: Courtesy of John Wiley & Sons Canada Ltd
'How To Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day' by Michael Gelb
Tahira Endean, the director of creative and production at Cantrav Services Inc. in Vancouver, says that all of Michael Gelb's books are must-reads, including this one about Leonardo da Vinci, which "includes a great story about catering in that century." Gelb, she says "truly is a Renaissance man, and I am always inspired by these books. I've read each more than once, and I've given them out to friends between 14 and 70 years of age. I consider these mandatory reading if you want to consider how to live and create better."
Photo: Courtesy of Dell
'Rework' by Jason Fried and David Heinemeir Hansson
Kristen Kaza, principal at No Small Plans Productions in Chicago, says that this "is a brilliant book from Chicago's 37Signals that gave me the encouragement to start my own company. It has chapters like 'Meetings are Toxic,' 'Fire the Workaholics,' and 'Planning is Guessing.' It's a great, short read with messages that make sense and stick. Everyone should read it."
Photo: Courtesy of Crown Business
'The Wiley Event Management Series' Special Events: A New Generation and the Next Frontier' by Joe Goldblatt
Julie Ramirez, a production intern at Jonny Stax Presents in Chicago, recommends this title for her peers just getting started in the industry. "The author takes you step-by-step through every process of event managing," she says. "I found this book so helpful when I took my first classes for event management during college, and I still use it as reference from time to time."
Photo: Courtesy of Wiley
'The Accidental Creative: How to be Brilliant at a Moment's Notice' by Todd Henry
The book "provides guidance on how to make adjustments in your daily routines to facilitate and increase your creativity, which is a vital asset when your profession requires creativity on demand," says Christina Mihalek, corporate events and meeting planner at Western & Southern Financial Group in Cincinnati.
Photo: Courtesy of Portfolio Hardcover
'Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity' by David Allen
Taylor McQuiston, the marketing manager at San Diego's Portable Bar Company, says that this book provides "the best organization and productivity system I've found to date."
Photo: Courtesy of Penguin Books
'Reflections of a Successful Wallflower: Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life' by Andrea Michaels
"You probably know who she is, but just in case, Michaels is a legendary event producer who's won too many awards to even start on, and she was the first inductee into the Event Industry Hall of Fame," says Sandy Allen, executive producer at the Water Coolers in New York. "Her book takes the tone of a tell-all and covers both personal and professional experiences and perspectives on the industry. I think it's a gem."
Photo: Courtesy of Outskirts Press
