The Beijing International Book Fair has been a productive trip. I did not have any expectations before arriving other than what come with working a book fair - long hours, lots of 'book' friendlies to catch up with, the foibles of my linguistic limitations and great dinners balanced by the dreck ingested from any convention hall food.
The fair matches the dichotomy of the city with Mercedes and BMWs competing for space on the roads with scores of pedestrians and motor bikes that have less horse power than a lawn mower and are used to haul everthing from full sized couches to entire families.
The fair has been bustling with dense aisles. It is interesting that business has a rhythm like LBF or Frankfurt with 30 minute meetings but the are lots of walk up activity with attendees drawn in by the booths or books. I do wonder who the attendees are as a whole - this portion of the fair is trade only, but it does not seem like there are booksellers.
All in all it has been impressive - and not just because I was able to get a Brooklyn lager, although that was a treat. I look forward to coming back with a year's experience and the start of some good relationships to build on.
Sincerely,
------------------------
Steven Rosato
Event Director-BookExpo America
srosato@reedexpo.com
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The official source for BookExpo announcements and news delivered by BEA Show Director Steve Rosato.
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