Guide to 2021 Bookselling Industry Events

In the wake of BookExpo's resignation from the industry, two new virtual events have sprung up to fill the void and allow publishers to market their fall books to booksellers:

• US Book Show, May 25-27
• Edelweiss Bookfest, June 8-9

Both of these events are sponsored and hosted by trusted industry partners, and both will offer plenty of educational content. To help booksellers differentiate between the two opportunities and make the best use of their time, here's a quick rundown of what we know about each conference so far. 

	PW's US Book Show	Edelweiss Bookfest
Website	https://usbookshow.com	https://www.abovethetreeline.com/bookfest/
Dates	May 25-27	June 8-9
Registration Cost (for Booksellers)	$35	$35
Attendees include:	Publishers, publishing company staff, librarians, booksellers, literary agents, film agents, library vendors, information-content and technology companies, printers, book wholesalers and distributors, sales representatives, special sales and corporate (non-bookstore) book buyers, IT and software vendors, education technology companies, journalists and producers, social media influencers, book reviewers, book bloggers, book designers, book publicists, book editors, book translators, book packagers, book marketing consultants, book publishing consultants, professional publishing program students, MILS library students.	Any Edelweiss User, including academics, bloggers, booksellers, consumers, librarians, media, publishers, distributors, reviewers, & writers.
Programming consists of:	Editors' picks panels, keynotes and author panels, education for librarians, publishing industry professionals, and booksellers. Keynotes by Elizabeth Warren, Oprah Winfrey, & Keanu Reeves. Guest appearance by Ijeoma Oluo, author of 'So You Want to Talk About Race,' who will be in conversation with her new editor, Rakesh Satyal.	Education, keynotes, author panels, Edelweiss-specific programming. Keynote presentations by Tayari Jones and Anthony Doerr.
Show Focus:	Industry Trade Event highlighting book discovery for fall titles, professional growth, networking	A gathering of the many different sides of the book industry, with something for everyone. Community building, Edelweiss technology applications, book discovery, professional growth, and book sales.
Exhibitors:	Exhibit Hall includes tbd	Exhibit Hall includes publishers and industry technology providers
Educational details:	Topics impacting the industry in a Covid-19/post-Covid-19 world. ​The future of offices and work-from-home culture, Hollywood and streaming, marketing and bookselling and more. The challenges and opportunities facing libraries now. Four children's books editor's picks panels by genre Four adult books editors's picks panels by genre Bookseller of the Year, Sales Rep of the Year, Independently Published Author "Selfie" awards	Education from Library Reads, IndiesIntroduce!, Publishers Lunch, BookPage, Independent Publishers Caucus, Paz & Associates, Book Machine, National Council of Teachers of English, Harvard Business Review Author Panels & Keynotes in 6 "Genre Halls," including YA, Children's, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, Current Events, & Literary Fiction Tracks for Booksellers, Librarians, Bloggers, and Publishers Edelweiss-specific education
Networking Opportunities:	Author breakout rooms, virtual parties, one-on-one meetings	Through Edelweiss Community
Galleys & Swag?	Downloads, galleys, giveaways, chapter excerpts, catalogs, author and publisher video content all saved to a virtual tote bag	Direct access to your Edelweiss account, DRCs, and a new Edelweiss web-based e-reader, but also preorders and book purchasing options through linked independent bookstore e-commerce sites. Items saved in the virtual tote bag can be purchased through a linked indie bookstore website of your choice
Register Here:	www.eventbrite.com/e/us-book-show-presented-by-publishers-weekly-tickets-140012632553	https://edelweissbookfest.regfox.com/edelweiss-bookfest

Based on the details available, PW's US Book Show appears to be approaching the BookExpo experience, ensuring that publishers have a way to promote their biggest books to the trade. The event is virtual this year due to the pandemic but looks poised to become a large-scale, in-person event. 

Edelweiss BookFest appears to be leveraging its platform's position as an intersection of the industry to try and improve discovery and workflow. This being a virtual event makes sense moving forward as the programs can be integrated with attendees' Edelweiss user experience. It seems like a way to improve and strengthen Edwelweiss's centrality to book industry operations, and a step toward streamlining workflow and communication between disparate parts of the industry.