Ed Several, a senior v-p at Reed Exhibitions who took over the direction of tthis year's BookExpo and BookCon, will be leaving the company this fall. Executives at Reed confirmed his departure to PW, while expressing confidence that the company has the team to carry out Several’s vision of a reimagined BookExpo, as well as expanded versions of BookCon and New York Rights Fair when they are held next spring.
Lance Fensterman, global president of ReedPop and the person who oversees Reed’s book shows, said the strategy Several developed in cooperation with Reed's customers and partners "is in place and we are executing against it.”
Fensterman said it was always expected that Several’s role with the book group would be temporary. Noting that Several got "a great opportunity,” Fensterman said that company executives "agreed that the show was in an excellent place with a strong strategy to move forward." He added: "And we truly agreed that it was a good time for the leadership to transition."
Taking the leadership role for the foreseeable is Jenny Martin, event manager for BookExpo and BookCon, who Fensterman described as “Ed’s right hand person and very familiar to our customers and partners.” He added that after the busy fall season—Reed, for one thing, runs New York ComicCon which will be held in early October—he will see if any staffing additions or adjustments to the book group need to be made.
At the present, Fensterman said, he is confident Reed is positioned to deliver a great three-part show for the industry next spring. “We feel that with New York Rights Fair, BookCon, BookExpo, and a strong team in place, we are as confident as ever that we have the right brands, strategy, team and leadership for our customers and the book community.”
One of BookExpo’s largest exhibitors agreed that naming Martin to oversee the book group was the smart choice. “Appointing Jenny is the best course of action Reed could take” to ensure the continuity of BookExpo and growth of BookCon and NYRF, this executive, who requested anonymity, said.
