
Programme
Sunday 23 March
9.00 - 9.45
Conference registration and welcome coffee
9.55 - 11.00
Welcome words and keynote speech
ALFA ROOM
(EG) Nadia Wassef - Bookseller and author of Shelf Life: Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller
11.10 - 11.55
Panel
ALFA ROOM
Orell Füssli (CH)
Lilosimages (FR)
The Spaniel’s Tale (CA)
Moderated by:
Buchhandlung Hoffmann (DE)
Presentation
BETA 1 ROOM
EIBF Director (BE)
Workshop
BETA 2 ROOM
Communications consultant (NL)
Panel
GAMMA ROOM
Lukukeskus – Läscentrum - The Finnish Reading Center (FI)
Buchhandlung Hoffmann (DE)
Börsenverein (DE)
12.10 - 13.15
Lunch
13.15 - 14.00
Ignite talk session
ALFA ROOM
E. Shaver, Bookseller (US)
Paagman Boekhandels (NL)
Les Mots Retrouvés (FR)
Moderated by:
EIBF Director (BE)
Presentation
BETA 1 ROOM
Latvian Literature Platform (LV)
Workshop
BETA 2 ROOM
Integral Professional Leadership Coach (LV)
Panel
GAMMA ROOM
MediaCampus (DE)
Norwegian Bookselling School (NO)
ALIRE (FR)
14.10 - 14.55
Afternoon keynote
ALFA ROOM
(UA) Oleksii Erinchak - Entrepreneur and bookseller.
Founder of Sens (Сенс) bookstore and Hitica mobile game studio
Interviewed by (RO) Raluca Selejan, bookseller at La Două Bufniţe
14.55 - 15.20
Coffee break
Sponsored by Libro.fm
15.30 - 16.15
Panel
ALFA ROOM
Kennys bookshop (IE)
SF Bokhandeln (SE)
E.Shaver, Bookseller (US)
Moderated by:
Libris.nl (NL)
Panel
BETA 1 ROOM
Prímerie (SK)
Next Page Books (UK)
uovonero (IT)
Moderated by:
Booksellers Association (UK)
Workshop
BETA 2 ROOM
Martinus (SK)
Panel
GAMMA ROOM
Books@Stones (AU)
The Spaniel’s Tale (CA)
Paagman Boekhandels,
EIBF President (NL)
Moderated by:
Svenska Bokhandlareföreningen (SE)
16.25 - 17.15
End of the day keynote
ALFA ROOM
Booklovers, Unite!
How a Not-for-Profit and a Business Support Each Other
and Plant the Joy of Reading Across the Country
(SK) Viktória Marcinová - Literacy promotion at Krajina čitateľov and Martinus
18.30 - 19.30
Drink reception
Sponsored by Ingram
19.30
Dinner
Sponsored by Gardners
Monday 24 March
9.00 - 9.30
Coffee break
09.30 - 10.20
Special address
ALFA ROOM
(LV) Agnese Lāce - Minister for Culture of the Republic of Latvia
Keynote speech
ALFA ROOM
The Happy Bookseller: The Science Behind Bookselling and Happiness
(NL) Patrick van Hees - Author of De Geluksprofessor ('The Happiness Professor')
10.30 - 11.15
Panel
ALFA ROOM
CEGAL (ES)
The Maynooth bookshop (IE)
Ferove Knihy (SK)
Moderated by:
Wagner Sassenheim (NL)
Panel
BETA 1 ROOM
Mahogany Books (US)
Karhun kirja & paperi (FI)
Jānis Roze (LV)
Moderated by:
Svenska Bokhandlareföreningen (SE)
Workshop
BETA 2 ROOM
Communications consultant (NL)
Panel
GAMMA ROOM
Buchhandlung Hoffmann (DE)
Cărturești (RO)
Omni (LI)
Moderated by:
ALIRE (FR)
11.20 - 11.40
Coffee break
11.50 - 12.35
Panel
ALFA ROOM
Dussmann (DE)
Librairie Le Divan (FR)
Gay on Wye (UK)
Moderated by:
Panel
BETA 1 ROOM
Amanak (CZ)
Llibreria 22 (ES)
La Două Bufnițe (RO)
Moderated by:
Livraria Snob (PT)
Workshop
BETA 2 ROOM
Integral Professional Leadership Coach (LV)
Panel
GAMMA ROOM
Kulturbokhandelen Norli Farsund (NO)
Schweizer Buchhandels- und Verlags- Verband (CH)
Libraria Via Piave (IT)
Moderated by:
Bookselling Ireland (IE)
12.45 - 13.55
Lunch
13.55 - 14.40
Panel
ALFA ROOM
Mahogany Books (US)
Sevenoaks Bookshop (UK)
The English Bookshop (SE)
Moderated by:
Presentation
BETA 1 ROOM
Liels un Mazs (LV)
Workshop
BETA 2 ROOM
Martinus (SK)
Panel
GAMMA ROOM
Höganäs Bokhandel (SE)
Mainstreet Trading Company (UK)
O Bichinho de Conto (PT)
Moderated by:
14.50 - 15.30
Closing keynote
ALFA ROOM
Log Off and Read. Digitalization and long-form reading
(NO) Kari Spjeldnæs - Associate Professor and Head of department - Kristiania University College
15.30 - 15.40
Closing words and unveiling the 2026 conference location
15.40
Closing drinks
*Panel session titles and timeslots may be subject to changes
Conference Speakers
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS & SPECIAL GUESTS


Nadia holds three M.A. degrees. Her work as a bookseller and entrepreneur has been covered in the Washington Post, Time, and Monocle, among other publications. She received the 2022 Woman of The Year Award; she has also been on Forbes Magazine’s “200 Most Powerful Women in the Middle East” (2014-2016). And in 2011, Nadia received Veuve Clicquot’s Initiative for Economic Development.
Nadia is the author of 'Shelf Life: Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller' (2021). It has been translated into 11 languages.

He believes that the Ukrainian culture must stand strong to resist the destructive influence of Russia.
Oleksii created meaningful spaces for the community by combining a bookstore, a café, and an event venue.



©Gatis Rozenfelds
PANELISTS, WORKSHOP FACILITATORS & MODERATORS




As a bookseller, I champion diversity, making sure any customer can find a piece of themselves among the shelves: something they love, something they wish to learn and discover about themselves.



With a hands-on approach, she weaves links between cultural venues and their audiences (cinemas, theaters). She is a member of TMNlab, a network dedicated to digital practices in the cultural sector.

Cecilie is educated in book/ culture business from the University in South Norway. She is born in a family of booksellers of a big and well-known bookstore business - Bruns Libris in Trondheim. Bruns Libris was converted to ARK Bokchain in 2000. She has been store manager and build up big chain bookstores in different bookstore-chains. LIBRIS, ARK and AKADEMIKA, and has also worked with marketing and sale at the Oslo-based publishers Aventura, and Cappelen Damm.









She has been on judging panels for the Costa Prize, The Bookseller Industry Awards, Books Are My Bag Readers Awards, Merky New Writers Prize, the Macmillan Illustration Prize and is judging fiction entries for the 2025 Trinidad-based BOCAS Lit Fest. Before bookselling, Fleur trained in photography and worked in the fashion industry as a photographer’s agent.

Over the last 25 years, I have been a bookseller, an entrepreneur, a trainer, an event organizer, a coach, a team facilitator, and a business designer. Today, I represent Rome’s booksellers as President of ALI (Italian Booksellers' Association) Rome, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as Vice President of Confcommercio Rome, and Italian booksellers as Vice President of ALI at national level.

She works closely with international publishers, book fairs, media, and literary festivals, curating events with Latvian writers and organizing press and industry visits to Latvia.

© Karlina Vitolina




Jan Smedh is on the board of the Svenska Bokhandlareföreningen (Swedish Booksellers Association).



When the time came to choose a career there was no question about it that I would become a bookseller. I've been working at our independent bookshop Omni since I was 16 with a quick one-year break to live abroad, where I worked at in a bookshop chain. From my love of diving into stories and characters developed my love for acting and I currently am a member of the Kreativ Akademie Improv Ensemble.






Mother to Matilde and Maria, her career is that of an all-round professional, multi award-winning illustrator, writer, bookseller, editor, reading mediator, and curator.
Mafalda founded O Bichinho de Conto —the first Portuguese bookstore specializing in children’s and youth literature— which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022. Perched atop a hill in a former primary school, the bookstore is complemented by an eponymous publishing project managed under her direction.






Since taking over a 26-year-old bookstore in May 2024, he has been a full-time member of Ferove knihy, the only bookselling team in the entire Krupina district. He is a father of two children, one of whom is neurotypical.

After successfully exiting GameStop at 43, consulting without control didn’t suit Michael. In 2022, he and Kevin purchased Chapters from their mentor, William Kinsella and three years later, the iconic Parnell Street store thrives once again.

Besides that, she is also in charge of other tasks related to CEGAL's internal management: accounting, invoicing and member services.

I am married, a proud mother of two, and we share our home with a cat and dog.
After high school, I started working in our family business, Paagman.
What began as helping out in the company grew into a deep passion for entrepreneurship.
Together with my brother; Fabian, we took over the business from our father and we continue to build its future.
With strong family values and a love for books and retail, I am committed to growing Paagman every day.










Along with her husband, Bill, she opened The Mainstreet Trading Company in June 2008 in the rural Scottish Borders. Originally a bookshop & café, Mainstreet expanded in 2012 to create a deli and homeware department. Mainstreet has won various awards over the years, including Britain’s Best Small Shop.
Rosamund was a member of the Booksellers Association Council 2011-2018 and served as President 2016-2018.


He is co-founder and editor-in-chief of the publishing companies Uovonero (2010) and Officina Babùk (2023), both specialized in accessible and inclusive children’s books.
He has translated more than 40 novels from French and English to Italian. His translations won several awards; he has won twice the children’s Premio Strega award for the translation, in 2020 and 2024.
As an author, he has written a novel (“Papiro”, published by Marcos y Marcos in 2024) and some picture books.


A former Bookseller Association Council member, Sheila is now the Project Manager for the BA Learning Skills Hub. She sits on the Bookselling Ireland committee. She is a board member of EIBF and she also mentors bookshops for the Booksellers Association.


© Femke den Hollander

© Billy Charity




Their bookstore curates literature that amplifies marginalized voices and fosters empathy, featuring books on neurodiversity, mental health, queer topics, Romani literature, feminist works, and children's stories addressing significant social issues. Beyond offering books, it serves as a community hub, hosting literary and cultural events and striving to ensure that diverse people feel seen, welcomed, and respected within their space.



Thank you to all the sponsors of the RISE Bookselling Conference
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