Frankfurt Book Fair organisers are planning on hosting an in-person fair this year from October 20–24, reports Publishers Weekly.
Fair director Juergen Boos said the fair ‘will be smaller in scale and more focused’. Boos said there will be fewer stages as well as fewer members of the general public, such as students, as organisers will be more restrictive about who they let in as a trade visitor.
Frankfurt’s digital rights platform, Frankfurt Rights, will continue to operate, however there will be fewer virtual events than was the case last year, and some online events are likely to require paid admission.
Boos said the fair has commitments from all major German publishers, 95% of European national stands and several countries from Asia. UK and US bookings ‘remain slow’, with Publishers Weekly reporting ‘lukewarm’ interest from US publishers.
‘Our theme this year is “Re:connect”, and we believe after a year of not traveling, not getting together, everyone will be eager to see each other,’ Boos said. ‘So far, we have only gotten positive responses from our news that we plan to go ahead with the live trade show. We are very optimistic.’
