Gary Shapiro: why trade shows matter and how to get them right

I have spent 35 years watching companies invest in preparing for a trade show. For many, the return is huge. But some squander the opportunity by failing to plan or execute. The success stories are legendary. Bill Gates told me that trade shows were key to the rapid growth of Microsoft. Intel turned a chip component into a reason people buy products with "Intel Inside." Ring, AMD, Nvidia and almost every brand-name tech company used trade shows to transform their businesses. I ran CES, the world's most powerful trade show, for more than three decades.