A Leader Speaks: One for the Books

To say that Juergen Boos is a bookish man would be to put it mildly. The president of the Frankfurt Book Fair , considered the world's largest and most influential publishing exhibition, has spent almost his entire adult life devoted to book publishing.

After training as a publishing manager and studying business management, Boos worked in sales and marketing for a number of publishing and media concerns before becoming president of the Frankfurt Book Fair in April 2005.

At the fair held each October, representatives from book publishing and multimedia companies worldwide negotiate international publishing rights and licensing fees. That, however, is only one part of the gigantic event's sway. The many literary and cultural events held as part of the fair also attract global attention.

Contributing Editor Gary Tufel spoke with Boos recently about the fair and its challenges.

Question: How big is the Frankfurt Book Fair?

Answer: It is the largest book and media fair in the world, bringing together the greatest number of professionals, from authors and agents to publishers and booksellers. However, it is not just the most important trading center for the international book and media industry. It is also a platform for cultural and political dialogue.

Q: Yes, but exactly how big is it?

A: In 2007, there were 7,448 exhibitors from 108 countries presenting their products on a total area of 172,000 square meters (1.8 million square feet). Every year, around 283,000 visitors come to the fair and participate in the 2,700 events that are held at the exhibition site and in the city.

Q: We are moving quickly from print into the digital era. What role does electronic media play in the tradeshow?

A: Books are by no means the only products on show at Frankfurt. Visitors will also find CD-ROMs, DVDs, audiobooks, online databases and e-books. In recent years, a good 30 percent of the range has been made up of digital products. This is where the future of the industry is headed.

Q: Do you organize other trade fairs? Are there other countries or regions you are involved in?

A: Yes, indeed. With the Publishers' Assn. of South Africa, the Frankfurt Book Fair also organizes the annual Cape Town Book Fair, which is June 14-17. The event successfully premiered in June 2006 and is already well on the way to establishing itself as a key international platform for the African book industry.

The Frankfurt Book Fair has also been active since 2006 in the United Arab Emirates. In 2007, a contract for a new joint venture was signed between the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage. The company is named Kitab, Arabic for book, and organizes the Abu Dhabi Intl. Book Fair, which took place March 11-16.

Q: Who are your competitors?

A: Frankfurt is by far the leading international book fair. Other fairs are either regional in their positioning or cater to a particular cultural and language area.

Some fairs, such as the Children's Book Fair in Bologna (Italy), cater to a specific section of the market. And in many Arab and Asian countries, such as Egypt, book fairs offer a unique opportunity for their people to get hold of reading material from other countries. That is, the fairs actually sell books to the public.

Q. How do you quantify international participation in the book fair?

A: Traditionally, we have more exhibitors from abroad than from Germany. The English-language book market is one of the most important worldwide, and Anglophone countries made up the largest group of international exhibitors. Some 653 exhibitors from the United States were at the Frankfurt Book Fair last year, the third largest group of exhibitors after Germany, with 3,358, and the United Kingdom, with 816 exhibitors.

Q: How old is the book fair?

A: The history of the Frankfurt Book Fair dates back to the 15th century, when Johannes Gutenberg first invented movable type only a few kilometers down the road. After this, Frankfurt became and remained the central and undisputed European book fair city right through to the 17th century. Leipzig came to play the part in the 18th century in the course of political and cultural upheaval.

In 1949, the original Frankfurt Book Fair tradition was given a new lease on life: 205 exhibitors assembled in Frankfurt's Paulskirche for the first post-war book fair.

Q: Most major tradeshows in Germany are owned by the messes in which they're held. But that's not the case with the book fair, right?

A: Since 1949, the Ausstellungs- und Messe-GmbH, a subsidiary of the German Publishers & Booksellers Assn., has been responsible for organizing the Frankfurt Book Fair. We rent the exhibit halls from Messe Frankfurt, which owns the venue and also provides us with various services.