Christian Book Expo

Deciding on Booth Space

By: Mark Kuyper
President/CEO, ECPA
Published in: E-Link, August 2007

Since we presented the Christian Book Expo concept at ICRS, we have had a tremendous response from publishers, authors, and even many retailers. One publisher I am meeting with in the next month shared that they have already had three meetings since ICRS on how they can “take full advantage of this exciting opportunity.”

Believe it or not, the first deadline related to the Christian Book Expo is coming up on September 3, 2007. If you send in your exhibit reservation and deposit by this day, you will get the best value for your investment, including a complimentary workshop/seminar space for one of your authors.

Several publishers have asked about how they should think about their booth layout or design. Think of it as a great big store with more selection than any physical store could ever have. In fact, our CBE Steering Committee has recommended that we set up the floor with pavilions for major category groupings, similar to “anchor” stores in a mall. We may have activity centers or performance pods in the center of each pavilion – final design will be determined once we know more about what our publishers want to accomplish. Task forces are developing for most category and demographic groups right now – including Bibles and Bible Reference, Children’s and Youth, Young Adult, Fiction, General Reader, Christian Education and Church Resources, Software, Audio, Music, African American and Hispanic.

Here are a few things you might want to think about as you decide how much booth space you need:

  • You can make your space any size you want. It is priced per sq ft so you can be as creative as you like. Creating a great experience with your product is key in this environment, and we wanted you to have the freedom to be imaginative.

  • Because it is like a store, you will probably want to showcase your books and resources for easy consumer browsing and selection.

  • One of the experiences consumers enjoy the most is the opportunity to meet their favorite author. Many authors are great writers, but not necessarily great speakers. Instead of booking seminar or workshop space for every author, invite some of them simply to sign books and greet consumers in your booth. Make sure you plan sufficient space for this.
  • Because consumers recognize authors more than publishers, you may want to identify specific space for individual authors. One of our publishers is exploring the possibility of creating “booths” within their overall space specifically branded for their high-profile authors.

  • You may also want to invite authors to reserve booth space on their own. We have had several authors indicate they would like to come to the event even if their publisher doesn’t bring them. (Our CBE Steering Committee has asked us to come up with a process to identify and notify publishers when one of their authors contacts us to buy space.)

  • You may want to consider setting up booths in different category sections. One publisher is planning to have space in the General Reader, Christian Education, and Kids sections.

  • If you wish to sell product directly to the consumer from your booth, it will be important to plan space for that as well. One of our retail partners is working on a possible solution for you, allowing you to process a sale in your booth that would actually go through their system. We’ll keep you up to date as that develops. (Keep in mind we are also working with retail partners to set up stores on the floor, so you can always direct consumers to those locations.)

  • You may need to keep a certain amount of inventory in your booth. We are in the process of creating a logistics task force that will identify solutions to keep retailers and publishers supplied with product throughout the event.

  • Signage is always important, but keep in mind that many churches see publishers as peddlers--not partners—so you will want to minimize the hype and focus on the consumers’ spiritual benefit.

  • We are going to invite all of your business partners, too, including Christian and general market retailers, libraries, ministries, internationals, etc., so you may also want to allot some space for meetings. Most retailers I have spoken to plan to bring staff for product knowledge and awareness, but they may want to stop by just to place a trade order while they are there.
If you haven’t already done so, I would recommend that you schedule a meeting with all those in your company affected by this event—sales, marketing, author relations, publicity, warehousing—and begin planning to “take full advantage of this exciting opportunity.” There is no one solution. You can bring portions of your current exhibit booth or set up a simpler pop-up display. It all depends on your goals and objectives.

If you would like to discuss any ideas or concepts, just let me know. I have met with many publishing houses to assist in this process and have several more meetings scheduled. Your input and suggestions are always welcome, and we want to help in any way we can.


MARCH 20-22, 2009
Dallas Convention Center
Dallas, Texas


Your audience. Your message. Your Event. It’s what you’ve been waiting for. It’s time.