CHARLESTON, S.C. — Since 2009, Robyn Davis, CPTD, CEM, has advised exhibitors around the world to help them thrive at trade shows, working at major events such as SHOT Show, CONEXPO-CON/AGG and IMTS.
Now, she has published Exhibit Smarter, a new book that serves as a roadmap for exhibitor success — which she generously shared with 2026 Trade Show Executive (TSE) Gold 100 Awards & Summit attendees.
TSE connected with Davis to learn about what inspired this book, her writing process and what she hopes to achieve.
ANDREW: What inspired you to write this book?
ROBYN: I wrote Exhibit Smarter to make a difference. I’m really happy with my business and don’t need a better business card.
Instead, my primary focus is to help more startups, small businesses and corporate marketers achieve their trade show goals with less stress and more earned confidence.
I work with some of the largest trade shows in the country and love the work we do together to support their exhibitors, but there are still so many others that need help.
While not every exhibitor will have an opportunity to work with someone like me, this book should make my experience, frameworks and advice easily attainable to anyone who wants to succeed at trade shows.
ANDREW: Could you walk through your writing and editing process? What did it teach you about the events industry?
ROBYN: Events have been at the core of my book writing and editing process, every step of the way.
The first book-related event I attended was last spring. Then, over the summer, I hosted a series of online events to test the content I planned to include.
Last fall, I went to an in-person editing retreat where my developmental editor helped me turn my many, many ideas into a real book … with book-appropriate storytelling, structure, etc.
Over the winter, I worked with three more professional editors, including Emily Olson of EXHIBITOR Magazine. By this spring, I had more book-related events on my calendar, as I was working on the design elements — including the illustrations, formatting, cover decisions — and then, finally, marketing.
These past few months have been a whirlwind of travel to events and finalizing a bunch of tiny book decisions.
Gary Shapiro of the Consumer Technology Association™ (producer of CES™) was the first person to read this book who I didn’t know and who I wasn’t paying to provide editing or related services; his feedback was very encouraging.
TSE’s Gold 100 was the first event where I was able to share the print version of Exhibit Smarter; I’m keeping the first proof copy for myself, but copies #2-201 went to those attendees.
For me, the book and the events industry blur so closely together. Learning how to write, publish and promote a book that can make a difference gave me a big reminder of the overwhelm and pressure new exhibitors feel every day, similar to when I’ve tried other new things in the past, but in a much more significant way this time.
I see a lot of parallels between my author journey and the journey that new exhibitors go on too.
ANDREW: How will it benefit the industry?
ROBYN: According to CEIR, only about 30% of organizers offer any sort of education to their exhibitors and that’s not just the strategic focus I have, but all types of education.
And, while there are now more college classes and other educational resources than there were when I was growing up, there still aren’t enough to serve every exhibitor. As a result, there are a number of exhibitors who still need expert advice to achieve their goals.
This book should help to fill that gap for those individuals and, on a grander scale, I hope that it will bring more recognition and respect to our industry.
There’s a trade show for everything, but most exhibitors don’t realize there are simple processes that work in this environment (that are different from other environments) and that they’re supposed to study trade shows so they can create measurable results for their businesses.
I think we’ve been the “invisible industry” for too long and I intend to do what I can to change that.
ANDREW: Are there any areas that you want to highlight for organizers?
ROBYN: I expect that, for organizers, one of the most valuable, but potentially hidden, benefits of Exhibit Smarter is the stories.
Whether I’m explaining my own previous experiences or those of exhibitors I’ve worked with, I think organizers could benefit from immersing themselves in the exhibitor experience.
We encourage exhibitors to prioritize better understanding their audience, and I think organizers should do the same.
Beyond understanding their exhibitors, I think organizers could benefit from identifying the actions they’re taking (or that their supplier partners are taking) that make it harder, or ideally easier, for exhibitors to succeed.
The sections where I talk about avoidable mistakes may be of particular interest, along with those on key components that organizers influence like company descriptions, sponsorships, evaluation and more.
Even little things, like placing a rented table in the back or side of a booth vs. right up front can encourage an exhibitor to continue with other smart choices.
ANDREW: Do you have more books on the horizon?
ROBYN: Maybe … Let’s see how this one goes first!
But, seriously, they say a book only gets to be “new” for its first year and there are a lot of publishing-industry opportunities that are only available to new books, so I’m planning on focusing on this one for right now.
Exhibit Smarter is only available in paperback so far, but eventually, it will be available in other formats too. For example, I recorded the audiobook myself with the help of a very talented producer in her studio in Vermont.
That won’t be officially released until early next year, but anyone who orders the paperback by October 5 will get early access to the audiobook, at no additional cost, later this year.
ANDREW: Is there anything else you would like to add?
ROBYN: One of the warnings they give new authors is that you’ll be surprised by who shows up for you and who doesn’t throughout this process. I’ll add that that has certainly been true for me, and I couldn’t be more appreciative of those who have shown up, especially given how hectic things are for our industry all the time.
Thank you for making time to chat with me, and for sharing Exhibit Smarter with your readers!
Davis was a featured speaker at the 2026 Gold 100 Education Summit. To get an article recapping her session, and featuring countless other key takeaways, subscribe to TSE’s free e-newsletter on LinkedIn or through your email.
