Between 23 and 24 March 2025, over 300 booksellers from 31 countries gathered for the 3rd edition of the RISE Bookselling Conference, organized by the EIBF team, this time in Riga, Latvia. This year’s event marked a significant expansion, with delegates from an increasing number of countries attending the conference.
The day before the conference, on an unusually sunny Saturday afternoon, 120 booksellers attended the already customary cultural and bookshop tour of the city. The tour included Riga’s most important bookshops of Jānis Roze and Zvaigzne ABC, as well as Globuss bookstore situated in the beautiful neighborhood of Vecrīga. Booksellers also visited Gunas grāmatas, a second-hand bookshop that is situated in the same street as the main stores of Jānis Roze and Zvaigzne ABC. The tour, followed by a networking evening in a bar, was a great opportunity for international booksellers to get acquainted with the cultural importance of Riga’s bookshops, their history, as well as the history of bookselling in Latvia in the 20th and 21st centuries.
DAY 1
The conference started on the next day, Sunday, 23 March, with opening speeches by Julie Belgrado, EIBF Director, EIBF President Fabian Paagman, and Inara Belinkaja-Roze, Managing Director of Jānis Roze.
The opening keynote, delivered by Nadia Wassef, bookseller and author of Shelf Life: Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller, dived into an inspirational story that spanned more than two decades of her career as a bookseller. Nadia opened up about the early days of the Diwan bookstore, a small corner bookshop that she founded with her sister in Cairo’s Zamalek district. Since those early days, Diwan has become the country’s largest bookshop chain.
Throughout the conference, booksellers and industry professionals exchanged and explored strategies to strengthen their businesses. Sessions covered essential topics like team building and training, online branding, subscription programmes and hybrid bookselling, offering invaluable insights on the most relevant trends in the book trade. Discussions also highlighted how bookshops can boost literacy rates and uphold democratic values, emphasizing their role in shaping cultural conversations worldwide.
Conference workshops provided practical learning opportunities, from designing beautiful window displays, to strengthening bookshops’ online presence and fostering mental wellbeing.
In one of the unforgettable highlights of the conference, Oleksii Erinchak, entrepreneur and bookseller, founder of the Sens bookstore in Kyiv, Ukraine, was interviewed by Raluca Selejan from La Două Bufniţe (Timișoara, Romania). Oleksii shared his experience of opening a bookshop in Kyiv in the middle of a war. His story offered a compelling reminder of the vital role bookshops play even in the most challenging times.
The day was concluded by a keynote session delivered by Viktória Marcinová. Viktória delivered a passionate speech about her NGO, Krajina čitateľov (Reader’s Land), and its efforts in promoting literacy and enabling better access to books to all Slovak children, in collaboration with the Martinus bookshop chain.
The day wrapped up with an evening of great food, drinks, and warm conversations, as booksellers connected and celebrated their shared passion for stories and community.
DAY 2
Monday’s sessions opened with a special address by Latvia’s Minister for Culture, Agnese Lāce, who welcomed booksellers from around the world and emphasized Latvia’s strong literary heritage. Agnese also extended a special invitation for attendees to experience Flow, Latvia’s Oscar-winning animated film.
Agnese's speech was followed by another keynote, Patrick van Hees, author of De Geluksprofessor ('The Happiness Professor'), who delivered a speech titled The Happy Bookseller: The Science Behind Bookselling. In a very engaging keynote that kept the audience on their toes, Patrick explained his theory of happiness, rooted in years of research, sometimes done secretly while working at an insurance company, and offered crucial advice on how to lead a happier life.
On Monday panels covered topics like the importance of working with independent publishers, diversifying offerings, and adapting to industry trends such as AI and BookTok. Each session reinforced the idea that bookshops are more than just retail spaces; they are cultural hubs that connect communities, promote diversity, inspire curiosity, and cultivate a culture of reading, dialogue and conversation.
Closing the conference, Kari Spjeldnaes delivered a compelling keynote titled Log Off and Read. Digitalization and long-form reading, examining the impact of digitalization on our reading habits.
In total, the conference hosted 14 panels, 3 presentations, 3 workshops, and 5 keynotes, counting 74 brilliant speakers!
The 3rd edition of the RISE Bookselling Conference was a great success, bringing together booksellers from across the world to share knowledge, exchange ideas and connect with the global bookselling community. With an inspiring lineup of keynotes, panels, workshops, the conference reaffirmed the vital role of bookshops as places that foster literacy, culture and democracy. To unveil the location and date of the next RISE Bookselling Conference, taking place on 19-20 April 2026, Julie Belgrado gave the audience a hint by quoting Shakespeare:
“Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene.”
And you’ve probably guessed it, the RISE Bookselling Conference 2026 will take place in Verona, Italy! As the conference came to its close, our attendees left Riga with new insights and connections, but also with a renewed passion for their work. We now look ahead to the next chapter, RISE Bookselling Conference 2026!
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