The PennZone

LEXINGTON, Mass. - PennZone -- Until now, traditional book fairs have been the place where dealers and customers came together to buy, sell, and learn from one another.  Now, with public gatherings banned for the foreseeable future, Marvin Getman, promoter of several of the top book and paper fairs in the country, is taking these fairs into the virtual world and making them easily accessible for everyone via desktop computer.

Covid-19 forced the cancellation of two of Getman's spring fairs, both were on track to have record-breaking attendance from both exhibitors and attendees. Getman was forced to pivot and began working with a web developer to simulate a traditional, live book fair. "As I started to develop this plan and after speaking with numerous dealers, I realized that a virtual fair could be far more efficient for book buyers than a live fair could ever be," stated Getman.

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Getman sees his new virtual fair as an innovative way to expand his market, and the market for the dealers, well beyond the Northeast U.S. base.  He is designing a unique and efficient process through which collectors, institutions and dealers will be able to peruse the booths of every exhibitor in the fair one by one, or easily visit just their favorite dealer. The built-in search feature will enable visitors to browse by category, subject or any search term to find specific items of interest. To keep the online shows fresh, exhibitors will be asked to only feature items not available on any other book selling site.

Unlike an online store which is open and available 24/7, Getman's new virtual fairs will open on a Tuesday at noon (eastern time, GMT-4:00), and close at 6pm on the following Thursday. The limited buying time frame is anticipated to create a 'virtual waiting line' for the doors to open and the opportunity of first crack at purchasing rare and unusual items.

As with Getman's physical fairs, dealers will find an efficient process for setting up their virtual booths and buyers and sellers will communicate directly with each other to discuss and complete transactions.

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The first virtual Grand Opening will take place Tuesday, June 2^nd at noon and run through Thursday June 4th 6:00pm (EDT).  Over 100 exhibitors will participate including several from Europe and one from Hong Kong, and all are listed on the website. Subsequent shows will open on the first Tuesday of each month. Admission for those who want to browse or buy is free. To receive notices of upcoming fair dates and additional information on exhibitors, visit www.getmansvirtual.com For exhibitor information email info@bookandpaperfairs.com or call  01-781-862-4039.