For many centuries, exhibitions and trade shows have been a crucial tool of sales and communication all over the world. Premier international trade shows had firmly estab­ lished themselves in Western Europe and the USA by the mid-1900s. Recent events in this century reflect the heightened significance of the fast-growing, forward-looking markets of Asia and Eastern Europe. The advance of globalisation and rapid develop­ ments in media technology are presenting new challenges to trade show companies and to the exhibitors and visitors who actively make use of this communication tool. As this happens, the activities involved in managing trade shows, congresses and similar events become ever more closely intertwined. Although there is certainly no paucity of literature on "service management" at both either the national or international Ievel, it is astanishing to note how little has yet been written about the management of trade shows per se. Back in 2003, this realization inspired us tocompile and publish the original Handbook of Trade Show Management in Germany (and in the German language). Scholarsand practitioners alike contributed their views on the subject. In response to positive feedback and a plethora of inquiries from abroad, we have now taken the step of publishing this international edition, inviting numerous authors who contributed to the German edition to share, along with additional international experts, to share in this undertaking.