BEA 2009: Unparalleled Professional Opportunities at a Great Price

Attending this year's BookExpo America in New York?

If the answer is no, you might want to reconsider.

Recent cuts in airfares and special registration offers for this year's show, coupled with the networking, education, and professional opportunities at BEA, add up to an unparalleled bargain.

Networking opportunities will abound, with many booksellers having already made the decision to attend this year's show. The latest data show that ABA-member bookseller attendance for BEA '09 is matching that of BEA '07 in NYC, and is running slightly ahead of last year's show in Los Angeles.

And, ironically, the economic downturn has made airfare -- one of the major expenses -- very affordable. This week, booksellers can book roundtrip flights from virtually every major market to New York City for about $200 or less. Combining that with steps taken by ABA and BEA, including the free badges booksellers receive with registration and the low hotel rate of $159 at Hotel ABA, the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, attending BEA might not pose undue travel expenses. (The Hotel ABA package also includes an additional free badge and many other benefits. Booksellers who are interested in making reservations at Hotel ABA should contact Sarah Rettger to have their names added to a waiting list.) 

"ABA and our colleagues at BEA definitely recognize the many challenges facing booksellers in this economic downturn," said ABA COO Oren Teicher, "but we also are more convinced that ever that tough times only increase the value of the many professional opportunities booksellers will find at BookExpo America. BEA remains the single largest gathering of independent booksellers, and booksellers are going to be at BEA in numbers equal to recent years. Networking remains number-one on the business agenda of our members, and there is no better opportunity than BEA. We encourage indie booksellers from across the country to take advantage of the unprecedented cost savings and attend the show."--Dan Cullen