This year, in November, the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) will be present in one of the most dynamic growth markets of Southeast Asia when it holds its first event in cooperation with the exhibition and conference organizer MP Singapore, and the Singapore Book Publishers Association (SBPA). The conference and exhibition StoryDrive Asia is set to become the most important international trade event for the publishing and media industries in the Asia-Pacific region. It will include a marketplace for the cross-media trade in rights and licences.
After four successful events in Beijing, StoryDrive Asia will now be held in Singapore for the first time, from 10 to 12 November 2016. As well as focussing on the rights and licensing trade for books, films, TV, games and merchandizing, it will promote international cooperation, shed light on new trends and innovations as well as content for the media industries, and support closer business relations with companies in the ASEAN region.
“With a population of more than 620 million, the Southeast Asian region with its ten countries remains an under-explored market with huge potential,” says Juergen Boos, director of the FBF. “By hosting StoryDrive Asia in the media metropolis of Singapore, our strategic aim is to establish access for international publishers and other companies to entirely new players, and to help ASEAN companies to reach global markets more efficiently.”
“We are very excited to be establishing this successful format in cooperation with the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Singapore Book Publishers Association,” says Jack Chia, executive director of MP International. “It means we’re achieving an innovative event highlight for all companies that deal with content – both here in the region, and far beyond. Singapore is the hub for this region. With its highly developed infrastructure it is the ideal place for companies of this kind to start.”
The three-day event will focus on interactivity and an international conference programme. The fi rst two days are reserved for the trade and professional community while the third day will be open to the general public. The event will feature an extensive programme for authors, organized in cooperation with the Singapore Writers Festival.
