BookExpo America: Still Valuable for Many Publishers, Though Questions of Its Future Lurk on the Horizon

As for actual attendance, according to BookExpo's official post-event release, the final number of verified attendees, excluding exhibitor personnel, was 12,025—representing a 30-percent increase over the 2008 show held in Los Angeles, but a 30-percent decrease over the 2007 show in New York City.

According to BEA, "Large attendee contingents from the three major national retailers (Borders, Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million) were in attendance, as was Amazon.com. Buyers from Hastings, Urban Outfitters, Target, Costco, Wal-Mart and other major nationwide retailers also attended."