Maybe the event organisers need to look at what they were doing right this year to see such significant sales with so many fewer visitors.

Overall the 80th Madrid Book Fair was a success amid Pandemic conditions, with a turnout of 384,000 visitors that spent 911 million euros ($10.6 million) at the outdoor event that fielded 320 booths across the event’s 17-day duration.

That said, sales were down 10% on 2019, when last the fair was held, and “only” about 550,000 books were sold.

Which means that per attending head, sales were up, as in 2019 sales of 10 million euros accrued from over 2 million visitors.

And yes, that 2 million norm means the 2021 footfall was down around 80%.

Maybe the event organisers need to look at what they were doing right this year to see such significant sales with so many fewer visitors.

Safe to say Madrid will retain its crown as Europe’s largest public-facing book fair, and by next year the Pandemic, while unlikely to be over, may be less potent, and the May-June dates set for 2022 may see the Madrid event return to some of its former glory.