Whether event planning is your job, you plan events for friends and family or even if you are looking for books to help you look at the event industry in a new way, we have rounded up a list of some books we think you’ll enjoy and learn from. These five books have either been shared by us in past posts or are renowned in the business world and can give you insight into aspects of human logic. 

The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice

Written by Todd Henry, this book is a look at the creative process and how to enhance that creativity. Though planning events requires diligence and organization, the execution and final product requires that you be creative to wow attendees or guests. Being able to strengthen that creative side of your work persona will help you generate new ideas and prevent events from getting stale. You will learn how to build on past events and take every event afterward to a new creative level. Buy on Amazon

Thinking, Fast and Slow

This book by Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman won the National Academy of Sciences Best Book Award in 2012. The psychologist looks at the brain and the way we think to uncover how we make choices in our lives—both personal and in business. It talks about the Fast system of thinking—driven by emotions—and the Slow system of thinking—driven by logic—and how the two influence our behavior. Understanding not only your own mind but that of others is a great way to help recognize how event attendees and guests think, so you can shape your decisions accordingly while planning an event. Buy on Amazon

Confessions of an Event Planner: Case Studies from the Real World of Events–How to Handle the Unexpected and How to Be a Master of Discretion

If this book sounds familiar, it is because we referenced it in our post, Five Things Often Overlooked When Choosing A Space. Author Judy Allen has written six other books on event planning and this one is great for people looking to see real world events through case studies. You will expertly see how to handle events that arise in the planning process without feeling like you are reading a textbook. Some of the scenarios at first may seem unbelievable, but as you plan more and more events, you will come to see that unexpected things can transpire no matter the event‚—and will have this book to reference when they do. Buy on Amazon

Rework

This book shows you a new way to approach work. The founders of 37Signals—now Basecamp—will teach you how to be more productive and inspired. Scott Rosenberg, co-founder of Salon.com, says of the book: “In a world where we all keep getting asked to do more with less, the authors show us how to do less and create more.” This book is a great read when planning events so you can break through any excuses holding you back and get the job done. Buy on Amazon

Events in the City: Using public spaces as event venues

This is another book that we referenced in our post, Five Things Often Overlooked When Choosing A Space. Even if you aren’t planning an event in a public place, this book is great to see how it is done. Get an inside look at how large-scale festivals and events are planned right in the middle of city squares for a different look at the planning process. There is always something to be learned from events that are different than yours, so this is yet another view of the industry. Buy on Amazon