spacerDocument LibraryEventsPress RoomMembershipOeBF GroupsSpecificationsAboutMembers Area

   
 

Press Room: Press Releases: eBook Experience

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Roger Bilheimer
Roger Bilheimer Associates
908/233-4107

Tina Jordan
BookExpo
America
203/840-5384
 

BOOKEXPO AMERICA ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF eBOOK EXPERIENCE

Unique Technology Center Provides

Interactive Business and Learning Environment

Norwalk, CT, January 8th, 2003:  BookExpo America (BEA), in partnership with the Open eBook Forum (www.openebook.org), has announced the development and implementation of a unique business and learning environment which will be launched at this year´s convention in Los Angeles, May 29 - June 1, 2003.  The special interactive center, which will be called the eBook Experience, will be located prominently in the Concourse Foyer, assuring a steady stream of traffic of book industry professionals who will be enlightened by the latest digital technology on display by participating exhibitors.  The eBook Experience is designed to be a total experience, with a modular layout that provides for a single point of entry and exit.  BEA, which annually draws up to 30,000 book industry professionals to its annual meeting, including more than 1,500 members of the media, is North America´s largest book industry event, thus providing a platform perfectly suited to learning about developments and innovations in the delivery of digital content.  It will be held this year at the Los Angeles Convention Center. 

óeBooks and eBook technology are becoming a growing part of the publishing and bookselling landscape,Ç notes Greg Topalian, Vice President and Show Manager for BEA.  óWith the recent release of Tablet PCs and the proliferation of PDA in use by students, travelers and professionals, thousands of eBook titles are selling every day in every category of publishing.  The creation of the eBook Experience at BEA is a great, fun way for everyone to see what is going on, sit down in a comfortable easy-chair, read from several different types of eBooks, and experience for  themselves what the future holds.Ç

While the BEA sales team is just beginning to approach potential sponsors and exhibitors, management officials note that the eBook Experience concept is being greeted enthusiastically. Steve Potash, President of OverDrive, Inc. and a member of the board of the Open eBook Forum, states: óBookExpo America 2003 attendees will have a great opportunity to learn and experience how publishing, retailing and technology leaders are enabling everyone to participate in the growth of the eBook industry.  Whether you are an author, editor, or bookseller, the eBook market is ready for all to participate.Ç 

In addition to OverDrive, Microsoft Corporation, Adobe Systems and Palm Digital Media will be participating companies in the eBook Experience.  There are three levels of participation in  the eBook Experience including Reading Room Participant, Turn Key Participant, and Title Sponsor. 

Reed Exhibitions is the world's largest organizer of business-to-business events.  Each year Reed events assemble about 156,000 suppliers and over a million buyers from around the world.  Today, Reed events are held in 35 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia/Pacific, and are organized by 30 fully staffed offices.  Reed's portfolio of events serves 49 industries in 12 key sectors.  BookExpo America is one of five other Reed events in the Reed Global Book Publishing Network.  These include the Asia International Book Fair, London International Book Fair, Salon du Livre:  Paris Book Fair, Tokyo International Book Fair and BookExpo Canada.  As a member of the Reed Elsevier plc group, a world-leading business and information provider,  Reed offers integrated market access programs covering exhibitions, trade publications, direct marketing and the Internet over a database of more than 9 million. 

(NYSE:  RUK/ENL).

For more information concerning BookExpo America and registration for the above events, please call 800/840-5614 or 203/840-5614 (International) or visit the BEA web site at www.bookexpoamerica.com

About the OeBF

The Open eBook Forum, www.openebook.org, is an international non-profit trade and standards organization for the electronic book publishing industry. Gold Sponsoring Members include technology leaders Microsoft Corporation, Adobe Systems, Palm Digital Media and OverDrive, Inc.

Members include leading publishing companies such as Random House, Simon & Schuster, AOL Time Warner Book Group, McGraw-Hill, HarperCollins and Reed Elsevier; and educational and government agencies including the Library of Congress, American Foundation for the Blind and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

###