Our trip to London Book Fair was scotched because of the Icelandic volcano, cancelling our rights and other business meetings we had scheduled. However, it appears that the once-perceived-to-be-flagging BEA later this month will enjoy a boost in business, as many globally-based companies who couldn’t make the London fair still perceive f2f as the best way to do business, and will come to NYC! Not only the volcano, but also a shift in publishing towards a 24/7/365 business and away from a seasonal, list-based marketing orientation, is pushing BEA to redefine itself, balancing its marketing impetus with rights trading and industry education as a focus. Whatever it takes to best serve those humans who come, in person, to do business face to face, that will emerge as the recipe for success.
