Toronto Launching New Book Fair

Shelf Awareness

Inspire!: Toronto Launching New Book Fair

Inspire!, a four-day Toronto International Book Fair, will make its debut next November at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Plans for the event "have taken shape with the breathtaking speed of an amusement-park ride," the Star reported. "News of the fair's launch comes just three months after the release of a feasibility study, funded by the Ontario Media Development Corp., which raised the tantalizing prospect of a reimagined Toronto book fair after six years without one."

Steven Levy, a "master of big consumer trade shows, showcasing the worlds of fashion, design, real estate and crafts," has partnered in the venture with Rita Davies, former executive director of culture for the city, and publisher John Calabro of Quattro Books, according to the Star. Levy noted that while the show partially fills a gap left by the demise of BookExpo Canada, Inspire! will be 80% public and about 20% publishing industry insiders.

"In Toronto we have a large audience with a serious interest in both print and digital subjects," he said. "And we have a highly diversified society, with many different languages and cultures. Our challenge is to create a number of unique events that will be entertaining and educational, and engage this audience."