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Attendees at The Frankfurt Book Fair are pleased to be back in person this year, despite the reduced numbers, with many anticipating a better year for attendance at international fairs in 2022.
Frankfurt is the first major physical book fair this year, and although “quieter than expected”, delegates have said it was important to have a presence on a stand after the pandemic.
Jon Malinowski, president of the Combined Book Exhibit (CBE), said: “This show had to happen—it was crucial. Everybody knows Frankfurt needed to happen in order to get the whole process rolling again, and to [reassure] everybody that it’s OK to go back to shows.” Malinowski added: “Normally we get 60 publishers in the pavilion, this year we have about 15. Obviously, it’s smaller.”
Exhibitors have said the number of meetings booked in are at around 10% of the number held in previous years, but that attendees are “very appreciative” of physical meeting and engagement.
Ilvi Liive, director of the Estonian Literature Centre, noted an “increased level of interest” in face-to-face conversations. “People are ready to do business,” she said. “It feels fresh somehow... [attendees] want to reconnect on a personal level”.
Tiia Stranden, director of the Finnish Literature Exchange, said the delegation was “very happy to be here” and that the atmosphere feels “very optimistic”, while Rebekah Ampadu, corporate relations manager at Eurospan, said it was “very beneficial to be [at the fair]” for “spontaneous meetings” and to establish “a more global presence” in person.
Despite the markedly quieter feel of the fair, the future is bright for upcoming events. “We’re full for [The London Book Fair], everybody is coming back from 2020,” said Malinowski, while “2022 is looking very promising. Everybody is dying to get back to shows, they’re all Zoomed out. We’re very optimistic”. CBE will be attending The Guadalajara Book Fair next month, with representatives from Overdrive and Simon & Schuster among its delegation for the Mexico event.
Suzanne Wilson-Higgins, deputy c.e.o. of the SPCK Group, said it was “so important to show solidarity with German publishers through having a physical presence. It’s particularly important for independent publishers, as things slowly get back to normal”. The group is planning to be at the London Book Fair and Bologna next year.
Cat Russo, president of RussoRights, has been a regular presence at the fair since 1996. “Two years ago we had over 100 meetings booked in,” she said. “Things are different this year of course, but being here is important. Somebody has to be the first to start this all again.”