BA conference postponed to November

The Booksellers Association annual conference and Gardners Trade Show have been postponed until November owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

The events had been due to take place in September but will now kick off with the Gardners Trade Show on 1st November at the Jury's Inn Hotel, Hinckley, followed by a dinner for all delegates, sponsored by the Independent Alliance.

On 2nd November, the conference will take place with workshops and sessions exploring a range of topics. The conference is free to all BA members thanks to support from Gardners.

Meryl Halls, m.d. of the Booksellers Association, said: “This has been an incredibly challenging time for all retailers, and booksellers have shown great resilience and creativity in the face of adversity. In these fast-moving times, we hope that moving the BA conference in November will allow booksellers from across the country to come together to network, share their experiences and celebrate their collective hard work.”

Nigel Wyman, head of business development at Gardners, added: “We have been working closely with the Booksellers Association during this unsettling time to create a realistic timescale for the Gardners Trade Show and the BA conference. We all felt moving it to November was a sensible option bearing in the mind the current climate. We are really looking forward to putting on a great trade show for all the booksellers who attend and giving the publishers the audience they so need right now.”