Barbara Ellington, Senior Gleaner WriterTHE TRADITION of the Frankfurt Book Fair dates back to the Middle Ages, and today people from all over Europe and the world,
converge on Germany for what is by far the world's largest book fair. This year, the fair will be held from October 6-10 and the guest of
honour will be the Arab World.
Holger Ehling, vice-president
corporate communications for Frankforter Buchmesse, recently attended the Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF), and spoke to The Sunday Gleaner about his role in the fair. Mr. Ehling who was last week successful in securing the
present venue of the fair for the next six years, said there will be over 6,800 stands and over six thousand publishers as well as 11,000
companies exhibiting at the fair.
"It is by far the biggest book fair in the world for works published in English, French, Chinese and many other languages, and it is a one-stop shop to reach everyone in the
international industry under one roof," Mr. Ehling said.
In his role, Mr. Ehling is
responsible for all media relations and liaising at the international level. Strategic planning and
collaborating with other major
book fairs also fall into his lap.
"I have also trained many
workers for book fairs worldwide and continue to work towards
keeping Germany as the
unchallenged market leaders in
the book fair business. I try to
maintain the high expectations
of integrity as there is all kinds of content around today," he said.
ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING
"The Frankfurt Book Fair was
the first to introduce CD Roms and e-books in the early 90s and we are moving in the direction of film and television. Electronic publishing is now a part of mainstream publishing. For the future we are looking at more scientific publishing because open access to information is putting traditional companies in danger," Mr. Ehling said.
He pointed out that written material is now available on the Internet for free and this has serious implications players in the business, especially those who trade. He further explained that two-thirds of the exhibitors at the Frankfurt Book
Fair come from outside Germany
and they are in the business of
trading with each other to distribute and publish books.
"Throughout the world, professional and scientific publications are
undergoing change and we have
to reflect that by working with
international institutions to find new ways to do this," Mr. Ehling said.
Now back with the Frankfurt Book Fair committee after a break, Mr. Ehling took time off between 1994 and 1997 to work in London as a
television and radio correspondent. That experience gave him an
opportunity to research material very quickly, to solve problems and to adapt. Expressing his satisfaction at the level of participation in the ZIBF, he is already looking towards next year's Frankfurt Book Fair which will take place from October 5-10.
