Member-only story
London Book Fair 2022
Booksneyland — Disneyland for book lovers
Many years ago, I attended the London Book Fair (LBF) and knew that that’s where I belong. I think the event inspired me to write for others, not just for myself. But, the event was very different back then.
In 2020, when I booked my ticket to the LBF, I expected the same experience as I had the first time I attended. However, that year, LBF was canceled a week before it was scheduled to take place, and then in 2021 the fair took place online, which I expected would be different. And it was. It was still amazing, I really enjoyed the seminars and panels, and exchanging messages with others in the book industry. One of those was a publisher. I won’t go into details right now, but it did not turn out well. I think I trusted them because I met them through the fair. That was ‘my bad’.
This year, the event took place in person. I had an amazing time, however; it was not without problems. My first issue was purchasing the ticket. I went to the website, clicked that I’d like to purchase a visitor pass at £59, and then answered the questions it asked me. For some reason, the system thought I was a member of the press. It wanted me to confirm my accreditations. I have no idea why it thought this.
I emailed the support, they sent me the link to the website. I tried again. This time it remembered me as a member of the press. So I registered under my other e-mail address. The system again thought I was a member of the press. I emailed the support again, they replied that I should call the helpline. So I did. A person, a human being answered and sorted it out. I had to return to the website, but this time I did not answer the questions it was asking. Clearly, someone somewhere made unrealistic assumption such as: if they say they are writing, they must be press.
My second problem with the system was that I did not get all the information I needed. I had no idea I had to make an appointment if I…
