BISG 2022: "Build Books Better"

While we're mindful of this Omicron moment, the BISG team has been actively planning for our 2022 annual meeting, currently set for April 22 in New York City. This year's theme, "Build Books Better", captures more than what we'll talk about at the meeting. It's also our theme for 2022, and we imagine the supply chain opportunities it embraces will have legs beyond that, as well.

The pandemic has challenged supply chains across almost all industries, including book publishing. Long-standing practices for things like forecasting, vendor management, paper ordering, data sharing, extended supply chains, and much more have all been questioned as we moved to remote work in a period of relative scarcity. The old rules may still apply, but as an industry we're less sure if they do. We're even less certain how long the disruptions we feel will last.

What has become clear, though: Business as usual must be reconsidered. A new BISG "brown-bag lunch" series, currently offered online, debuted in December as a platform to talk about printing relationships, the state of the paper market, and (next month) forecasting. The first two sessions attracted nearly 250 registrants, a sign that the topics were right and the industry is looking for ways forward. It's also a sign that BISG can do more to foster broader conversations about what the next versions of book publishing can look like.

The annual meeting in April will showcase some of the best ideas about what "Book Publishing Next" might be. Throughout the pandemic, our five standing committees have been working on a wide range of projects, each meeting monthly to explore current and leading-edge topics. Out of those conversations, the rights and workflow committees launched their separate series of coffee-break webinars, and the supply chain committee designed its brown-bag lunch series. We'll have a chance to share some of their other work when we gather in April.

And, we'll have some fun. Each year, BISG recognizes members of our industry with the Lifetime Service, Industry Champion, and Industry Innovation awards. We'll have more to say about all three honors in the next couple of months.

Tickets for the event are on sale now, with an early-bird deadline of March 4. Individual seats are available now for $249 (members) and $349 (non-members). Prices for both groups will increase $100 each after March 4. Tables of 10 tickets can be purchased by contacting the BISG office.

The last in-person annual meeting took place in 2019, a time that seems far removed from today's reality. We'll be taking a number of precautions with this event, details we'll be sharing in the next few weeks. We anticipate that we'll also provide some form of remote access, again with details coming shortly. But we'd be less than transparent if we didn't hope to see you at the meeting. It has been a while, we've been busy, and there's lots of work we have ahead of us.