Ingram Content Group will not attend BookExpo or BookCon 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Given the fluid nature of the current environment and the timeline for resolution still uncertain, we have made the decision not to attend BookExpo or BookCon this year," the company said in a statement. "The well-being and safety of our associates and publisher partners is of utmost importance. We look forward to helping content reach its destination during this time and connecting with our booksellers, librarians, and publishers through alternative means."
The move comes less than two weeks after Hachette Book Group and Macmillan became the last of the Big Five publishers to withdraw from this year's BookExpo and BookCon. Penguin Random House withdrew from the events on March 18, and HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster announced their withdrawals on March 24. Reedpop, the division of Reed Exhibitions that hosts both BookExpo and BookCon, announced new dates for the shows on March 20.
As of press time, both BookExpo and BookCon were still slated to run July 22–26 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. Currently, the Javits Center is operating as a field hospital. Reed executives had no comment on Ingram's decision.
