“Culture thrives on exchange”

European networks at the Frankfurter Buchmesse

Frankfurt, 9 October 2017 – The opening event of the Weltempfang – the Book Fair’s Centre for Politics, Literature and Translation – asks: “Can culture save Europe?” In Hall 3.1, prominent speakers from the fields of culture and academics will debate this question. “The Frankfurter Buchmesse is the ideal place for rethinking Europe – it is the focus of international attention and located just three and a half hours by train from Brussels”, says Juergen Boos, Director of the Frankfurter Buchmesse. Despite Brexit and political volatility, the close ties between the international book markets in Frankfurt remain palpable. “There is a very strong network within the European – and international – publishing industry, rooted not only in business, but also very much in personal and cultural relationships. This internationality shows that culture thrives on exchange. Expanding and consolidating this network is essential for our industry – and we want to promote that.”

ALDUS – European Book Fairs’ Network
The Frankfurter Buchmesse is a member of ALDUS, the network of European book fairs founded in 2016. Literary exchange, subsidy schemes, digitalisation, marketing and addressing target groups are key issues that member fairs discuss at joint events and professional training sessions, developing new, innovative formats and unlocking synergies. The partnership comprises two leading international book fairs, Bologna and Frankfurt, as well as numerous national book fairs: Rome, Vilnius, Riga, Lisbon and Bucharest. The network is co-funded by the “Creative Europe” programme of the European Union. For the time being, the project is planned to continue until 2019. www.aldusnet.eu(opens in a new window)

Ministerial meeting at the Book Fair: re-establishing Europe through culture
For the first time, an informal work meeting of European Union ministers of culture will take place at the Frankfurter Buchmesse. French Minister of Culture Françoise Nyssen invites her colleagues to attend the meeting on Wednesday, 11 October, in which, among others, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture Monika Grütters is expected to participate. From 4.25 to 4.55 pm, a related press briefing will be held (room “Illusion”, Press Centre, level C.3, Congress Center Messe Frankfurt; simultaneous interpretation in German /French/English). Advance registration is required: press@book-fair.com(opens in a new window). Registration at the event with a valid press card is also possible.

Crossing boundaries at THE ARTS+
Numerous European institutions present themselves at THE ARTS+ business festival. For instance, the European digital library Europeana, with millions of digitised objects from museums, libraries, archives and collections, is one of the partners of THE ARTS+. Together with THE ARTS+, it is organising, among other things, a workshop on digital strategies for museums and cultural institutions on the Wednesday of the fair, and will also be involved when THE ARTS+ Salon turns into an interactive pop-up museum at the weekend (14-15 October).
THE ARTS+ Innovation Summit on Wednesday is dedicated to the question “How can a European innovation network work for the culture and creative industries?” After all, digitalisation and related new technologies such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence, big data and 3D printing are driving innovation at all levels. THE ARTS+ Innovation Summit brings creatives, entrepreneurs, start-ups, sponsors, mediators and politicians from across Europe together at one table – speakers include Ivan Ostrowicz of the EdTech start-up Domoscio, Michael Döschner-Apostolidis of Holtzbrinck ePublishing, games expert Fabio Violas, as well as EU commission experts such as Barbara Gessler (Creative Europe) and Paolo Cesarini (Horizon 2020). www.theartsplus.com(opens in a new window)

European Network for Literary Translation
This year, for the second time, the annual meeting of members of the European Network for Literary Translation will take place at the Frankfurter Buchmesse. The European Network for Literary Translation – ENLIT – was officially founded in 2016. The aim is to develop translation funding programmes to increase interest in and the visibility of literature in its respective country of origin and at the international level. The network strives to make the manifold literary voices within and beyond Europe’s borders more easily accessible.

The EMMA project: advancing innovation and research in the area of communication tools
At the Frankfurter Buchmesse, the project EMMA, which has received funding by the EU’s “Horizon 2020” programme, provides insight into the development of a social media and content management tool. The acronym EMMA stands for “Enriching Market solutions for content Management and publishing with state-of-the-art multimedia Analysis techniques”. EMMA brings together a team from five European countries and a wide range of business sectors. As a partner in the project, the Frankfurter Buchmesse aims to advance research and development in the area of digital tools and software solutions for communication. EMMA will be present at the Book Fair with a stand at the Hot Spot Digital Innovation (Hall 6.2 D 65). On the Saturday of the fair (11.00 am to 1.00 pm), the workshop “Social media in publishing – inspired by the EMMA project” will be held in the Business Club, aimed at communications professionals in the publishing sector. http://emma.in-two.com/(opens in a new window)

Annual meeting of the Federation of European Publishers and EIBF booksellers’ conference
The Frankfurter Buchmesse is the annual international meeting point for the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF). The associations are present at the fair with numerous events. Among others, EU Commissioner of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Tibor Navracsic is expected at the annual meeting of the Federation of European Publishers (FEP), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2017. On the Thursday of the fair, the European and International Booksellers Federation will hold the European booksellers’ conference, dedicated to “Creative and innovative solutions by bookshops and booksellers associations” (12 October, Hall 5.1, Tulip Lounge). Among others, prize-winning author Alain Mabanckou is expected at the roundtable discussions with booksellers and authors. www.europeanbooksellers.eu(opens in a new window)

Events at the Frankfurter Buchmesse as part of ALDUS – European Book Fairs’ Network:

Official opening of THE ARTS+: Voices for a united world of creativity
With: Chris Dercon, Holger Volland, Prof. Peter Weibel, Tarek Al-Wazir
Wednesday, 11 October 2017, 10.15 am - 11.25 am, THE ARTS+ Runway (Hall 4.1 P 53)

THE ARTS+ Innovation Summit for the creative sectors
Programme und registration: https://theartsplus.com/review/_2017/summit/(opens in a new window)
Wednesday, 11 October 2017, 11.30 am - 5.30 pm, THE ARTS+ Runway and Salon (Hall 4.1 P 53 and P 109)

Let your books travel: ALDUS networking for publishers, editors and agents
Publishers, agents and editors are invited to meet and mingle with eight funding organisations from the European Union. Registration required: https://www.xing-events.com/DJBYPTY.html(opens in a new window)
Wednesday, 11 October 2017, 5.30 pm - 7.00 pm, Business Club (Hall 4.0)

Behind closed doors – how literary award juries work
Four international jury members offer glimpses behind the scenes: Pierre Assouline (Prix Goncourt), Katja Gasser (German Book Prize), Zeynep Oral (European Union Prize for Literature) and Edmund Wee (Epigram Books Fiction Prize), Moderator: Porter Anderson (Publishing Perspectives)
Thursday, 12 October 2017, 11.30 am - 12.30 pm, Business Club (Hall 4.0)

Answers from a content innovator
In conversation with Marguerite Joly, Head of Business Initiatives at Ullstein: She will provide an exclusive insight into the art of innovation, share her experiences and tell us, how it feels to put the content industry upside down.
Thursday, 12 October 2017, 2.30 pm - 3.00 pm, THE ARTS+ Runway (Hall 4.1 P 53)

The events are organised as part of ALDUS – European Book Fairs’ Network and are co-funded by the “Creative Europe” programme of the European Union.

Further event highlights revolving around the topic of European networks:

“How does reading work?”
A debate on the impact of digital technologies on reading and learning.
Participants: Anezka Kuzmicova (University of Stockholm), Adriaan van der Weel (University of Leiden), Jens Nymand Christensen (Deputy Director Education and Culture European Commission, DDG), Moderator: Rüdiger Wischenbart (Content and Consulting)
Wednesday, 11 October 2017, 4.00 pm - 5.00 pm, LitCam stage (Hall 3.1 B 33)

EIBF conference “Creative and Innovative Solutions by Bookshops and Booksellers Associations”
Conference programme and registration: http://www.europeanbooksellers.eu/(opens in a new window)
Thursday, 12 October 2017, 9.30 am - 4.30 pm Tulip Lounge (Hall 5.1)

Politics and translation – a mutual interaction?
How do constantly changing political circumstances and current events influence the work of literary translation? Experts from the book and publishing industry discuss the links between politics and translation.
Cooperation: Frankfurter Buchmesse, European Network for Literary Translation ENLIT
Friday, 13 October 2017, 4.00 pm – 5.00 pm, Weltempfang Salon (Hall 3.1 L 25)

The programme of the Weltempfang (Hall 3.1 L 25) is available at http://book-fair.com/en/Focus_on/more_topics/international_dialog/(opens in a new window).

All events at the Frankfurter Buchmesse can be found in the Calendar of Events: https://catalog.services.book-fair.com/en/(opens in a new window)