Following a failure of the online-registration system last week that left many would-be exhibitors out in the cold, the Small Press Expo announced it's expanding the number of tables available for the Sept. 14-15 convention.

In a statement posted last night on the SPX Tumblr, organizers said they've reserved the full ballroom at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, allowing for an increase in the number of tables from 210 to about 280. While that won't accommodate all of those shut out March 17, they believe it should take care of most of them.

Exhibitors who attempted to register for tables should be contacted later this week about their status; there will also be a waiting list. Those who are still unable to secure tables are invited to attend SPX, where two free two-day passes and a tote bag will be waiting for them at the registration desk.

"So, to be clear, this will be an experiment -- and an acknowledgement that we let our community down last weekend," the statement reads. "This expansion may not be a permanent move for SPX, but we’ll do our utmost to make sure that this year’s show is the best -- and best attended -- yet. As to whether the expansion is permanent will be dependent upon how well you exhibitors do in terms of sales and the resultant feedback we get about this expansion after the show."