This Week in Exhibit Industry News

BookExpo America 2012 has just barely wrapped up in New York, but it appears that changes are on the way. While the show will stay at the Javits Center through 2015, the days will shift to a Thursday through Saturday pattern to accommodate having consumers at the show. This was the first year to offer a Consumer Day as an invitation-only option on the last day of the show, and overall response from exhibitors was mixed. (Note: Having attended BEA and seen the madness that happened when celebrities do booksignings – with only booksellers and librarians in the audience – I do wonder about crowd control when you add consumers to the mix.) But it’s probably high time that the biggest show in an industry that’s rapidly evolving should find a way to evolve to stay relevant.

It appears if BEA plans to move anytime soon, it won’t be to a new convention center in Queens. It appears that after all the vocal opposition from the meetings and convention industry, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposal for that is all but dead.

This summer’s Outdoor Retailer Summer Market (Aug. 1-5 in Salt Lake City) will be introducing several new events and features. The Open Air Demo will be held on the first day at Jordanelle Reservoir and offers hands-on experiences with a variety of outdoor equipment products. There will also be an expanded new exhibitor pavilion located adjacent to the Salt Palace Convention Center, a tank for trying out flatwater stand up paddling, and a four-day Street Scene with food trucks.