London romance book convention moves venues days before event

Two events aimed at romance book fans are scheduled for London this weekend after the organizer of a planned three-day convention moved the event to a new venue just days before it was set to begin.

Love Among the Pages was originally scheduled to run Sept. 18 to 20 at RBC Place London. The event was first announced in July 2025, with proceeds intended to support animal rescues in Canada.

Tickets remained on sale through the event's website as of Tuesday afternoon, with the site still listing RBC Place as the venue. However, the event was removed from the venue's website over the weekend.

RBC Place event planning manager Rochelle Stone told CBC News in an email that Love Among the Pages "is no longer taking place at RBC Place London."

In an Instagram post on Sunday, organizer Haustier Events executive director and CEO Nicole Ramsdale said the event had not been cancelled but that she was facing financial challenges because of low ticket sales and members of her volunteer team being unable to continue helping with the planning.

She said the event had about $17,000 still to raise, while ticket sales and sponsorships had been lower than expected.

Ramsdale said the event was intended to be funded through ticket sales, sponsorships, and vendor booth fees, with any leftover money donated to animal rescues.

"It was never meant to be a one-person event to plan," she wrote, adding that she did not want to cancel the event because people had already invested in tickets, booths, inventory and travel.

Ramsdale's Instagram post did not mention RBC Place or a potential change of venue. But in an email to vendors obtained by CBC News, she said she had an outstanding balance with the venue and had been told the event could still go ahead at RBC Place if she raised enough money to cover it.

Ramsdale said RBC Place had marked the event as cancelled on its administrative system until the outstanding amount was paid. She said she spent the following days trying to raise the money while also looking for an alternative venue.

"I planned on informing all my guests and attendees when I had things figured out, as I did not want to create panic over something that I could resolve," Ramsdale wrote.

CBC News spoke to Ramsdale for comment on Tuesday, but she declined to be interviewed. She was also given an opportunity to provide a written statement, but none was received before publication.

Vendors face last-minute changes

More than 50 romance authors were previously advertised as participating in the event, along with close to a dozen audiobook narrators and 17 craft vendors.

Some vendors had planned to travel from outside Canada to attend. Several have since announced on social media that they will no longer participate.

Kitchener-Waterloo author Sara Clement said she paid $400 for a vendor table. She said she is no longer planning to attend because of the venue change.

"It feels like very much being tugged along and being expected to just wait her out, which feels very unfair to the amount that we have all invested into this," Clement said, adding the decision also affected her personally because she had made plans around the convention.

"I make sacrifices," she said. "I give up time with my kids. My daughter has a hockey tournament this weekend that I can't go to because I was booked already for this."

The venue was not the only change.

Some previously advertised activities have also been scaled back. Narrator panels and the "A Night of a Thousand Tropes Ball," which had been scheduled for Saturday night, no longer appear to be part of the event schedule.

Brittany Cameron, who paid $400 for a vendor table for her London-based crochet business Fox Flair, said she was concerned about the lack of public information about the changes.

"There was no public announcement made," Cameron said. "That does not sit well with me."

Ticket prices have also changed, with some tickets advertised for as little as $10. Friday tickets were no longer listed on the event website as of Tuesday afternoon.

Its FAQ says tickets are non-refundable, but also says Haustier Events will refund ticket purchases if the event is cancelled because of "extreme circumstances."

It was not clear whether VIP ticket holders would receive refunds following the programming changes.

New venue, different expectations

On Monday, Ramsdale told vendors that Citi Plaza had been secured as the new venue.

The downtown shopping centre is a block away from RBC Place, but some vendors told CBC News they do not intend to participate at the new location.

Clement said she believes the venue change could affect the contracts vendors signed with the organizer. CBC News obtained a copy of a vendor contract that lists RBC Place as the event venue.

"We are not obligated to show up to a place because any amendments to a venue would need to be agreed upon by both parties," Clement said.

Brantford-based author A.E. Chenier also said she does not plan to attend the event at Citi Plaza and has asked for a refund.

"I don't consent to the venue change because I paid my booth fee for RBC Place, which was a very large booth fee," Chenier said.

Some vendors who spoke with CBC News said they are considering whether to pursue legal action against Haustier Events.

CBC News has not independently established whether vendors are entitled to refunds or whether the venue change affects their contracts.

Vendors organize a second event

Chenier said vendors also wanted to make sure people who had planned to attend the convention still had an opportunity to connect with romance authors and other vendors.

That led to the creation of the Readers & Romance pop-up book convention, which is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4:30 p.m. at Blake's Bistro and Bar inside the DoubleTree by Hilton London on King Street.

Chenier said as many as 40 vendors originally scheduled to participate in Love Among the Pages are expected to take part. Donations will be collected for the London Humane Society.

"It's just been amazing to watch the whole community kind of come together and make the best of a bad situation," Chenier said. "And I think we've gone above and beyond that, making the best of it."