Frankfurter Buchmesse 07 - 11 October 2026

Menschen gehen in einer Halle in verschiedene Richtungen.

What's next? Outlook for #fbm26

Frankfurter Buchmesse is the world's most important marketplace for printed and digital content – and, like the publishing industry itself, the fair is constantly evolving. Frankfurter Buchmesse is responding to recent developments with a revised hall concept.

The growing influx of young readers is a positive and economically indispensable trend for many exhibitors, one that needs to be strengthened and managed. At the same time, we are aware of the challenges that high visitor numbers can pose for a trade fair like Frankfurter Buchmesse – with business and professional networking at its core.

One fair.
Two levels.
Upstrairs for business.
Downstrairs for the general public.

Illustration der Hallenebenen. Die oberen Hallenebenen sind dunkelrot gefärbt und stehen für B2B. Die unteren Hallenebenen sind hellrot gefärbt und stehen für B2C.

Space for encounters – space for movement

From Wednesday to Thursday, the fair is open exclusively to trade visitors. On Friday, the doors will also open to the reading public, who will be evenly distributed throughout the lower halls, while the upper levels will remain focused on the business aspects of the industry.

This concept allows space for literary enthusiasm, essential aspects of event security and new growth potential for targeted business in the upper halls. i.e. different business formats as well as offers for marketing and transactions

Register for #fbm26
Geschaeftsgespraech

B2B success is top priority

The upper levels are dedicated to international and interdisciplinary B2B meetings. Exhibitors, publishers, agents and trade visitors can make new contacts and explore new business opportunities. Clearly marked areas offer a professional setting for concentrated work, conversation and collaboration - from personal meetings and negotiations to industry events. Although designed for the business community, these levels are also accessible to interested visitors.

LOW AND BEHOLD: A PLACE DEDICATED TO STORIES

The audience takes centre stage

From 2026, the lower hall levels will be where publishers and exhibitors present their programmes with a strong reader focus, showcase new releases and offer books for direct sale. Accompanying events invite visitors to participate, get involved and share ideas – making the book fair an exciting experience for everyone who loves stories.

These areas combine discovery, inspiration and encounters. They create visibility, promote direct dialogue between publishers and their audience, and open up new opportunities for business, marketing and community building.

FBM-NEXT-GALLERY01
Zwei Fachbesucherinnen unterhalten sich.
Fokus auf drei Personen im Publikum, die freudig an einer Veranstaltung teilnehmen,

A first look

at the future of FBM

Illustration eines Bücherstapels über dem ein Herz schwebt.
Hände, die ein aufgeschlagenes Buch halten.

Exploring our vision

for 2026 and beyond

Drei Frauen, die auf einer Bühne sitzend ein Gespräch führen.

FBM Next – imagining an even better book fair

As a leading international trade fair, we think globally and keep moving forward. In order to better meet the needs of our customers, the new hall concept will go even further and is not just intended for one year. By continuously adapting the fair to new developments, we maintain its international relevance and appeal.

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Better conditions for business

Effective networking, inspiration and business deals require a combination of a focused working atmosphere, space for ideas and places to meet. To this end, we intend to continue investing in new networking areas and formats, expanding work centres and further strengthening the effectiveness of the upper hall levels as an internationally relevant place of work and networking for publishing professionals.

Strengthening enthusiasm for literature

We don’t want to slow down the rush of readers – we want to encourage it and steer it in new directions. Each of the four ground-level halls will have its own stage. The aim will be to ensure an even flow of visitors through all four halls during the fair weekend. In the future, we want to continue investing in the quality of the visitor experience with new stage concepts, photo spots and encounters with stars, but also with quiet zones and the further development of an infrastructure for a relaxed, safe and barrier-free fair visit.

FAQ

The core idea of the new concept is clarity: business focus upstairs, general public focus downstairs. This new logic creates the spatial basis for a clearer approach to target groups and the further development of specific offers: more networking areas, work centres and an improved specialist programme upstairs. For the general public, there will be additional stages, quiet zones, photo spots and an infrastructure that enables a relaxed and barrier-free visit. The new concept allows us to invest even more specifically in the development of the trade and general public areas respectively. 

Frankfurter Buchmesse is the most important international trade fair – and it should remain so. In 2026, we will continue to follow the trade fair model from Wednesday to Sunday. Access for the general public will remain possible from Friday onwards. 

A new hall concept always has an impact on visitor flows. With this further development, we aim to distribute visitor flows evenly across the halls on the horizontal levels. We will support this by placing attractions in the individual halls in a balanced manner. In the run-up to Frankfurter Buchmesse, we will place particular emphasis on the new hall logic in our customer communications. And visitor guidance will be strengthened accordingly to help visitors find their way around the exhibition grounds.

The further development of the hall layout creates the conditions for the sustainable development of Frankfurter Buchmesse as the world's leading trade fair and an attractive public event. We are planning for the long term with this concept. At the same time, we are open to further developments and will continuously incorporate future experiences and trends into our fair planning – as our customers have come to expect from us.

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Be there right from the start

Be part of the evolution of Frankfurter Buchmesse – as an exhibitor! Register your stand, book a workstation, join a collective stand or participate in a work centre.

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