Teen Bookfest by the Bay 2017

WOW. What an amazing weekend. The organizers of this event went above and beyond on every level imaginable. Before I became an author, I used to arrange huge events, and so I'm familiar with the inner workings of such a thing. So from both the inside and the outside, here are the main items I observed this weekend:

1. There is a dynamic committee that works year round planning and executing this event. Each person on the committee has a different responsibility such as fundraising, public relations, transportation coordinator, treasurer, and so on and so on. Leading the committee is the fearless Debbie VanZandt, who is humble and inspiring.

2. A top goal of the committee was to make sure the attending authors felt spoiled and valued. Goal achieved! The accommodations, the meals, the swag bags, the thoughtful moderators on the panels ... all were beyond fabulous.

3. The event was well publicized. They incorporated student artists to design logos for the event. They reached out to schools and community advocates. And ... I thought it was a great idea to have local vendors set up downstairs for attendees and authors to shop.

4. The event was well organized. The schedule ran smoothly, and the attendees had plenty of interesting panels and workshops to choose from each hour.

5. The list of attending authors was impressive, including New York Times best-selling authors and distinctive award-winning authors.

6. And most importantly, people smiled. Everyone. I never saw a dissatisfied person at the event. That says a lot right there!

As soon as the 2018 dates are announced, I highly encourage everyone to mark their calendars and plan to attend.

My hat goes off to an amazing 2017 Teen Bookfest by the Bay - Corpus Christi, Texas.

Thank you.