Getting a feel for BEA day by day

Looking forward to BEA (which is only 18 weeks away!) I get to experience what goes on from behind the curtain as planning unfolds across each constituency from booksellers to publishers to librarians to tech companies to authors to the conference program.  It is genuinely a living breathing thing.  A day at BEA is like a gift, with the wrapping paper being torn away to reveal the contents as each day is packed starting from early with meetings and sessions that eventually turn into drinks or dinner with the grand company only the publishing industry could produce.  Each show day is unique, with the sum of the week defining BEA and each person’s unique experience from their 3 or 4 days around Javits and NYC.

BEA is a mammoth event by nature - not just in physical size, but most importantly in what it presents.  It is the big tent and with SO much going on, I think of BEA as a day by day evolution, growing into something that in its sum, leaves a mark in time, indeed in history.   There is a feel and anticipation about each day at BEA, which for many people ending in a heap of exhaustion and exhilaration that is not unlike finishing a marathon.   Each BEA day has its own texture and with it, unique opportunity…..

Wednesday is ALL anticipation.  It’s the countdown, as the industry “rocket” is about to take off.  It’s a day for education (Publishers Launch, IDPF Digital Book 2013, BEA and ABA sessions for 2000+ people); a day for final booth set up as the show floor takes on a special look all its own; a day that celebrates the international world of books through the Global Market Forum; a day when networking and personal contact with industry peers begins in earnest; and MOST of all, a day that culminates with the BEA Buzz Panel which gives us genuine “lift off”. 

Thursday is ALL excitement.  The show debuts with the first Author Breakfast; the show floor opens with thousands of people rushing in to see the most important thing for them; etc, etc. 

Friday is ALL business.  We are in the “heart” of the show cycle, everyone has said their first hello, the parties are in mid-swing, and the author activity abounds, etc. etc.  

Saturday is ALL satisfaction.  The doors open for Power Readers as we welcome consumers to our wonderful world of books; the show has been a success for many authors, as books have been launched, etc., etc.

BEA has its meaning for each and every person who comes to the show.  This is what makes it so special.  There is something for everyone at BEA!  I look forward to seeing you there and making every day count!