BEA Looks To Open Show To Public For A Day in 2013

PublishersLunch

After years of resisting suggestions to incorporate the reading public into Book Expo America, fair organizers "are looking at 2013 to shift" the show to straddle the weekend, running from Thursday through Saturday, with that third day open to public. The Saturday consumer focus would be "built around author events, but [will] also allow them onto the show floor to look behind the curtain, see what new works from their favorite writers will be coming out like ComicCon does." BEA show director Steve Rosato argues in a blog post that maintaining a third day of regular exhibits outside of the regular work week, by itself still controversial among exhibitors, "will also give a day of exhibits on the weekend that small but vocal portion of librarians and booksellers miss."

Rosato cautions that "nothing is baked" and "we have a ton of due diligence to conduct to insure that a BEA that includes consumers, is an event that serves the industry in the ways that were always viable as well is in a whole new and valuable way." By his accounts organizers have "begun to share our plans" with BEA's Executive Advisory Committee and association partners. They also plan to conduct research "with our whole exhibitor base as well as some consumer focus groups."

The larger point is that "there is increasing value for engaging consumers directly while there is a growing appetite from consumers to know what is coming from their favorite authors and personalities that are writing books," Rosato writes. "We think the time is coming for the publishing business to connect directly with consumers that we view as B2C."
BEA blog post