In an effort to meet the evolving needs of shop owners in the book industry, the American Booksellers Association and Reed Exhibitions announced they are retrofitting BookExpo America, starting with dropping “America” off of the event’s name and redesigning the face-to-face event’s structure. The newly minted version of the event will provide booksellers with enhanced opportunities to network with publishers and each other, organizers say, and it will redouble its efforts to facilitate a greater exchange of information between authors publishers, booksellers, and readers. “Guided by feedback and input from member bookstores, ABA and our valued colleagues at Reed are reinventing BookExpo while implementing a number of important innovations and changes to help ensure that the annual spring event — still the largest annual meeting of independent booksellers — meets the business needs of indie bookstores and helps them better interact with all key segments of the book industry,” said Oren Teicher, CEO of ABA.
Among the past concerns expressed by participants was the cost for conference lodging, but organizers said they have addressed that issue as well. BookExpo is scheduled for late May and early June in New York, a time and location likely to see some of the highest hotel rates in the country. To make the event more affordable, Reed will pitch in significantly to subsidize a room block at The Row NYC, keeping hotel nights at $200 all inclusive for show goers. Officials say they have also aligned the ABA Annual Celebration of Bookselling with the start of BookExpo, and they have scheduled the event so that it will flow directly into BookCon at the show’s end.
