Thanks to additional funding from the German government’s Neustart Kultur program, the Frankfurt Book Fair has sent out communications to all previous exhibitors that there will be no cancellation fees if for some reason the fair must be canceled, or in case exhibitors must cancel their plans to attend at short notice to attend the fair due to circumstances relating to the pandemic. The fair is to take place from 20 to 24 October 2021.
The organizers nevertheless say, “We are confident that Frankfurter Buchmesse will take place this autumn and that together we can achieve a successful relaunch. So please join us! After such a long period without face-to-face meetings, we expect an immense media response. It’s already clear that many participants from the German-speaking world will attend, and we also anticipate a large turnout of international guests, above all from European countries.”
By registering to attend, exhibitors will help the organizers achieve a certain level of commitment and planning security on both sides. Therefore, they have requested that exhibitors submit their registration by the official deadline of 31 May 2021. After that, the planning of the layout of the halls will begin.
Safety and regulations
Frankfurt Book Fair says its top priority is ensuring the safety of visitors to the fair. It is in close contact with the authorities regarding current health regulations. Apart from adhering to all the health and safety requirements in effect in October, it will implement measures that are necessary and appropriate to ensure the well-being of visitors and exhibitors.
The organizers add, “For those who are unable to travel or who cannot be present in Frankfurt for other reasons, we are developing digital formats that we will be presenting to you soon.”
2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India
Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and
multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.
The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry.
While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately
their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book
printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.
The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.
Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.
Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.
Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.
