BEC 2007 Attendance Down

by Joshua Kerbel -- Publishers Weekly, 7/31/2007 7:27:00 AM

BookExpo Canada (BEC) reported that total attendance at its annual convention, held July 8–11, 2007, in Toronto, was 2,255, a 10% decrease from 2006. Officials said the overall decline was largely due to a decrease in publisher attendance, and the number of general booksellers and librarians increased by 21% and 63%, respectively. “I am encouraged by our bookseller and librarian increase, because this was a key goal for us this year,” Scott Temple, v-p and managing director of Reed Exhibitions Canada, noted. “Obviously, we’re always looking for an increase in attendance in all areas of participation, so I am disappointed that our overall number isn’t a bit higher. But our primary goal is to deliver quality attendees to our exhibitors, and our research shows that we are making gains in this area.”