Large turnout for a Kurdish literature event in Madrid

We recently had a very successful book presentation take place in our bookshop.
It was not our normal target audience, indeed it was aimed at a small (for Spain) niche; we hosted a "night of Kurdish literature". In terms of numbers attending it was probably our most successful night (although the opening launch night with Sid Lowe was also a crowd puller), and additionally many great contacts were made that should lead to future ventures.
So why did this event draw so many people? I think one important reason is that there was a community (Kurds in Madrid, and indeed in Spain) that appreciated the chance to access books on their culture in Spanish, and we were able to get the help of Kurdish people and friends in spreading the word about the event.
It also helped that we had such good guests to do the presentations. Yashmina Shawki is an established writer, historian and analyst on Kurdish and also Middle East affairs, and it was illuminating listening to the background behind her novel "Kurdos, destino libertad". Equally it was fascinating listening to the two translators (Pepa Baamonde and Irfan Guler ) explain the importance and background of the influential Kurdish poet Ahmed Arif, whose book they presented “Desgaste cadenas añorándote” ("Shackles worn out by longing").
Lastly, it has to be said that the organisation KRG (the Kurdish regional government in Spain) did an excellent job in promoting the event, and in so doing raised awareness of Kurdish writers within Spain.
Of course, as always on these nights, we did our best in the bookshop to ensure everyone was able to realax and enjoy the night with free refreshments and nibbles, - and we were very grateful to the donation of pinchos and mezzes made by the owners of MOD restaurant (on calle Orense 22, near Nuevos Ministerios). Nevertheless the biggest factor that drew the crowds (in my opinion) is that getting someone to collaborate and help with publicity and Press Releases (as the KRG did) is invaluable for this type of event. Much as I am a fan of social media, it's still supremely important to use traditional methods - face-to-face contact, press releases, personal networking etc when publicising an event.