Marie Leclerc, appointed in February 2021, has just left the literary ship which will be at its 18th presentation, in October, in Shippagan.
At first glance, whoever occupies this position seems to be sitting on an ejection seat. The president of the show’s board of directors, Denis Mallet, agrees that this instability does not give the best image to the public.
However, he speaks more of an unfortunate set of circumstances – health, time off, competition from other organizations courting talent – to explain this back and forth.
There are no specific reasons
he says. Rather, it is several factors. Sometimes it’s a health issue. It’s an exhausting job in the long run. Sometimes when you accept this position, you also become a target for a company that is looking for someone for employment in similar events.
A demanding and stressful position
Denis Mallet concedes that this is a position requiring a lot of personal commitment and he does not deny that the function is stressful. He would accept a miracle recipe to keep this essential employee a little longer, he says with humor.
Marie Leclerc, general manager of the Salon du livre de la Péninsule acadienne, is leaving after less than two years in office.
Photo: Courtesy of Marie Leclerc
The Acadian Peninsula Book Fair is well structured. The person who will take Marie’s place will not arrive in the unknown. The transition will be made in collaboration with the Board of Directors. Our new CEO doesn’t have to start from scratch. About 80% of the work for the next show is done
explains the president of the show, which attracts nearly 15,000 visitors and around a hundred authors.
According to him, the last two years have eaten up a lot of energy within the organization. The 2020 presentation has been canceled due to the COVID-19 lockdown. What was to be the both virtual and in-person show of 2021 was cut short to just two weeks from the event.
It didn’t happen without problems. It was necessary to respect the financial commitments with the invited authors, indicates Mr. Mallet.
The Dieppe Book Fair, at the Center des arts et de la culture, in 2020.
Photo: Facebook/Dieppe Book Fair
Dieppe and Edmundston
At the Edmundston Book Fair, which has just completed its 37th annual meeting, Annie Lamoureux has held the position of General Manager since 2017. She mentions that she achieves this thanks to an effective organizing committee and a board of directors. administration capable of dealing with cases.
” It’s actually quite demanding. At home, we are talking about seven to eight very intense months. Is this a post that can be scary? Perhaps. You have to be passionate and love the book. A good team can lighten the load. But as we have seen for two years with the pandemic, anything can happen. »
On the Dieppe side, DG Liette Paulin-LeBlanc has been leading the charge since 2020. Previously, Josée Lord held her seat for seven years.
She recognizes that planning a book fair is a heavy workload involving financial management, employees, planning, grants, communications and marketing.
Good organization and good management are necessary. You have to love the world of books too. We are non-profit organizations, it’s a lot of work before and after, you have to wear many hats, work with Acadian schools and publishing houses. It’s rewarding, but it’s hard
she points out at the dawn of the 32nd fair, in October, at the Center des arts et de la culture de Dieppe.
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca