After a dazzling debut conference last year in Prague, the EIBF led and organised RISE Bookselling Conference came back bigger and better this year, hosted at the iconic and picturesque Centro Cultural de Belém complex in Lisbon, Portugal. The conference proved once more to be a one-of-its-kind space in which to grow and foster a global and resilient bookselling community.
This year, on the 17-18 of March, the conference embodied more than ever the fervent passion, resilience and proud spirit of the bookselling sector, gathering over 300 booksellers and key stakeholders in the sector (authors, publishers, distributors, etc.) from every corner of the world. The conference served as a forum for them to meet, network, debate, and discuss current topics of relevance to the bookselling sector.
Delegates from 28 countries enjoyed a rich and packed programme of panels covering a wide range of priority topics for the book trade such as sustainability, accessibility, AI innovation, diversity and inclusion, book censorship and many more.
The increase in participation from the year prior highlighted how unique and crucial the RISE Bookselling Conference is in creating an organic sense of belonging to an international book community that shares the same values and ideals, as well as facilitating dialogue and understanding among booksellers.
On our dedicated Conference page, you can watch highlights from this year’s sophomore conference, browse through our photo gallery, read a recap of the conference and download some of the presentations and other workshop materials.
The third edition of the RISE Bookselling Conference will take place in Riga, Latvia on 23-24 March 2025.
‘Resilience, Innovation and Sustainability for the Enhancement of Bookselling’, or RISE Bookselling in short, is a three-year, EU co-funded programme run by EIBF. Since its launch in early 2022, RISE Bookselling has been working to create a real network of international and European booksellers, bringing them closer together while upscaling their resilience by providing them with key tools and insights they can put into practice in their shop.
Under the RISE Bookselling project, and among other multiple activities, EIBF has organised the RISE Bookselling Conference, the first-ever European and international conference to put booksellers at center-stage, giving them an opportunity to have a dedicated space in which to discuss their craft with like-minded peers.