Sharjah International Booksellers Conference Ends with Vision for a Smarter, Connected Industry

More than 750 delegates joining the 4th International Booksellers Conference in Sharjah on April 8, 2025 concluded the event with enhanced drive and hope after delegates from 92 different countries participated in finding new book retail approaches and worldwide market trends.

Two days of cultural activities organized by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) used the event to showcase booksellers as cultural liaisons while exploring traditional book values through modern technology within the evolving book industry. Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi led the conference as she continues to lead the efforts that make Sharjah an international literature and knowledge center.

The international significance of the conference continues to expand according to Mansour Al Hassani who serves as SBA’s General Coordinator of Professional Conferences. Every year our meeting creates essential relationships that strengthen booksellers’ abilities to operate innovatively. These partnerships will deliver measurable improvements to global bookselling operations while continuing to establish Sharjah as an international cultural center according to Al Hassani.

Michael Busch delivered an inspiring presentation as Managing Partner of Thalia Bücher GmbH which operates as Europe’s largest book store on Day 2. According to Busch booksellers need to adopt omni-channel models with platform-based thinking while he demonstrated that Thalia’s success resulted from its strategy spanning physical stores and e-commerce and e-books and audiobooks. Busycae drives literacy enhancement projects throughout South America that delivered substantial improvements in literacy for disadvantaged areas.

At the event Federico Lang introduced the Global Book Crawl as a worldwide independent bookstore unification program through shared promotional efforts. More than 5000 book shops throughout six continents will join force on April 26, 2025 to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day.

Nadia Wassef explained how her cultural center Diwan in Cairo came into existence at Guernica Book Club through her motivational speech to attendees.