Jeanette Minniti
Bob McGlincy
Trade Show Enthusiast. Storyteller.
Award Winning Author.
.png)
COMING
SUMMER
2026
COMING
WINTER
2026
Published: November 2024
Kindle ASIN: B0DZZ2N5CG
Paperback ISBN: 979-8300940355
Hardcover ISBN: 979-8300940393
Trim: 6" x 9" - 402 pages
Discover the History and Economic Impact of Trade Shows and How They Have Changed the World
The convention and business events industry is a powerful economic engine, creating millions of jobs, billions in tax revenues, and hundreds of billions in business sales. Written by two industry veterans, this book tells the untold story of how an "invisible" industry grew into a trillion-dollar global powerhouse fueling business success across America.
This groundbreaking book uncovers:
-
The influence of World’s Fairs on U.S. trade shows.
-
The innovations, brands, and technologies that created business empires.
-
The rise of key convention center cities, venues, organizations, and suppliers.
-
The game-changers who shaped the industry.
-
The current landscape and future of trade show marketing.
To read more, or buy the book, click one of the buttons below:
RATED 5-STARS
Awards and Recognition
NABE Fall 2024
First Place
Best Business Book
​
2024 New England Book Festival
Second Place
Business Category
The 2025 Great Southeast Book Festival
First Place
Business
Amazon “Top New Release”
December, January and February
​
Amazon “Best Seller” List
Global Marketing
December 2024 thru April 2025
​
Pinnacle Book Award
December 2024
BEST
SELLER
What Others Are Saying...
“Entertaining, engaging, and informative … a great read!”
—Don Svehla. Publisher, Exhibit City News
​
“This book is a Harvard Business School course in one fell swoop but with all the boring parts left out. The authors start with the history of trade fairs but unlike most mainstream history they make it fun.”
—Charles Pappas. Author, Flying Cars, Zombie Dogs, and Robot Overlords.
​
“Excellent history … accurate in its depiction of the industry. A great read … hard to put down.”
—Skip Cox. Past President and CEO at Exhibit Surveys.
In the Beginning...
Before social media and the internet … before commercial aviation, TV and the radio … the way people learned about technology, art, and new inventions was to attend a World’s Fair. These Expos were cultural phenomena and entertainment meccas. Tens of millions of people traveled from around the globe to experience a single event.
​
World’ Fairs have changed the way people live. Many common-place items of today were unknown to the public prior to being displayed at a Fair. These inventions run the alphabet from air conditioners to zippers … and include such every-day items as cars, computers, dishwashers, electric lights, elevators, flush toilets, light switches, telephones, televisions, and touchscreens.
This book details how it happened, why it was important, and what it was like … “In the Beginning”.
Published: October 2025
Ebook ISBN: 979-8-9995507-1-2
Paperback ISBN: 979-8-9995507-0-5
Hardcover ISBN: 979-8-9995507-2-9
Trim: 6" x 9" - 166 pages
Awards and Recognition
Literary Titan
Paris Book Festival
Honorable Mention
Non Fiction
What Others Are Saying...
“An engrossing, visually satisfying history of 19th century world’s fairs.”
—Kirkus Reviews
​
“McGlincy cements his role as the premiere historian of the tradeshow world. He brings the past to life in vivid detail.”
—Mark Hebert, Senior Reporter, ECN.
​
“McGlincy brings history to life in a way that’s fast paced, surprising, and deeply relavant to today. This is a great read.”
—Pat Alacqua, author of Obstacles to Opportunity.