The Sharjah Booksellers Conference 2026 opens at Expo Centre Sharjah on Saturday, bringing 912 distributors, booksellers and online book platforms from 99 countries together for two days of discussions on technology, sales and international partnerships.
Sharjah Booksellers Conference 2026: what is on the programme?
The event runs on September 19 and 20, or 19–20 September, with four keynote addresses, two innovation demonstrations, four panel discussions and presentations, 14 international workshops and six Arabic-language workshops. Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, chairperson of Sharjah Book Authority, will deliver the opening keynote.
The programme focuses on practical issues for the trade. Sessions will cover AI-built websites, e-commerce, demand for print books, bookstore design, business expansion and market volatility. The organisers say the event is intended to help booksellers and distributors compare approaches across markets rather than admire the problem from a safe distance.
Why the conference is focused on digital and physical sales
The Sharjah Booksellers Conference 2026 gives digital transformation a prominent place, including a demonstration of AI-built websites for maximising sales led by Lisa Byrnes and Sarah Arbuthnot. Another session, Beyond the Shelf: Building Demand for Physical Books in a Digital World, will look at combining e-commerce with traditional bookselling.
The event also includes a presentation on turning bookshops into cultural hubs and a discussion on growing a business without losing its identity. The first cohort of the PublisHer professional accreditation pathway will graduate during the first day, with Motivate Media Group managing partner Ian Fairservice attending.
The conference will finish with one-to-one business meetings and Meet a Mentor sessions. Registration details are available through the official Sharjah Booksellers Conference website. The event follows other Sharjah industry gatherings, including the 2026 animation and comics conference and the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival.
The earlier conference announcement covered participation from 98 countries; the latest release puts the figure at 99 and confirms 912 participants.
When is the Sharjah Booksellers Conference 2026?
The conference takes place on September 19 and 20, 2026, at Expo Centre Sharjah.
Who can attend the Sharjah Booksellers Conference?
The event is aimed at distributors, booksellers, publishers and operators of online book-selling platforms. Registration details are available at sharjahbooksellers.ae.
What topics will the conference cover?
The programme covers AI-built websites, e-commerce, print-book demand, bookstore design, business expansion, market volatility and professional mentoring.
