Changes Announced for BEA and BookCon 2015

On Friday, BookExpo America show director Steve Rosato announced “some substantive yet subtle changes” for BookExpo America and BookCon 2015 that are aimed at better serving the vast majority of those vested in either event.

BEA 2015 will become a two and a half day event, running from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, and from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on both Thursday, May 28, and Friday, May 29.  The changes will provide 21 hours of exhibit time versus what had been 22 hours, but not without some new challenges regarding the conference program schedule and exhibitor set-up.

BookCon will run for two full days, on Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31, with the exact hours yet to be determined. The split into two separate events will allow companies “vested in BookCon to staff properly and save on T&E by reducing some personnel” and will enable event organizers to mitigate the problems of long lines and overcrowding, said Rosato.

Financially, this year’s BookCon barely broke even, but “the expectation is it will be a profitable event going forward, but only if we deliver a great experience for fans and a valuable investment for publishers,” he said, adding that the shows’ organizers are continuing to sift through feedback from power readers to find a way that blends the events without upsetting the balance for BEA’s trade activity.