Monday, May 23, 2011

And so it begins....

This year BEA has been a sprint from start to finish with the amount of planning and execution that has gone on to get to this point.  Well - the finish line is in sight and there is still wind in our sails and gas left in the tank.  The reason it feels like we have been sprinting the whole way is because since I pulled out of Javits on May 26th in 2010 at 5:00, BEA 2011 planning started in earnest before I was even off of 11th Avenue when BEA made the decision to restore the 3rd day of exhibits.  Working through the ALA concept, securing our partnerships with the IDPF, the Book Bloggers Convention, entering the venture with Blog World & New Media Expo, welcoming the Audio Publishers Association, the IBPA Publishing University and the expansion of New York Book Week - well, you get the idea why we have not come up for air and started in a full sprint on May 26th. 

It is early Monday before the BEA crescendo fully comes to a head but a few things tell me that with our blinders on for this race, BEA will come out well ahead.  The IDPF will exceed their record numbers from 2010 - looking like close to 900 total conferees, the Book Bloggers Convention will have 15% more people, BEA itself will see more librarians and more VIPs in very strong numbers, the BEA program today is awesome, the Global Market Forum featuring Italy has packed agenda with outstanding speakers.  I will be back here later this morning with some BEA news and posting often this week.  If you are at BEA-I hope I see you, get a chance to thank you for supporting the best publishing event in North America and you walk away with a terrific experience for you and your business.

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