Italy to be Guest of Honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2023
Contract signed in Rome
Frankfurt/Rome, 5 February 2018 – Italy will be Guest of Honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2023 (18-22 October). The Guest of Honour contract was signed this morning by Dario Franceschini, Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, and Juergen Boos, Director of the Frankfurter Buchmesse, in the presence of the President of the Association of Italian Publishers, Ricardo Franco Levi.
At the meeting, Juergen Boos said: “A new spirit of optimism can be observed in Italy’s cultural scene right now: The Italian book market underwent a period of dynamic upheaval and drastic change in recent years – including the consolidation of publishing houses as well as new bookstore concepts and the new book fair Tempo di Libri in Milan. A positive energy can now be felt everywhere. This dynamism could also be seen at the Frankfurter Buchmesse last year – the Italian presentation won us over with an exhibition concept that put the spotlight on tradition, cultural heritage and future viability. We are delighted to be able be support this development for the next five years and are looking forward to an exceptional presentation at the Frankfurter Buchmesse in 2023.”
Minister Dario Franceschini said: “The Italian participation as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2023 has a strong symbolic meaning: it affirms the worldwide appreciation of our creative industry and effectively shows its vitality, cultural strength and economic value. Thanks to this agreement the national publishing industry has a great opportunity that I know for sure will be made use of.”
“We are extremely proud of the important role assigned to Italian publishers on the international stage of the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2023,” commented Ricardo Franco Levi, President of the Italian Publishers Association (AIE), following the official notification that Italy will be the Frankfurter Buchmesse’s Guest of Honour in 2023. “This occasion will offer Italy the opportunity to present itself as a key protagonist within the German cultural scene for an entire year and to demonstrate its international standing, confirming publishing as the leading cultural industry in our country,” stated President Levi. “We are pleased to have played a small but not insignificant role in this choice. Already now, starting in 2018, the European Year of Cultural Heritage, we can make the most out of the heritage linked to book publishing,” added the President. “We will prepare to the fullest extent our participation at the 2023 Book Fair.”
About the Frankfurter Buchmesse
The Frankfurter Buchmesse is the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair – with over 7,300 exhibitors from 102 countries, around 286,000 visitors, over 4,000 events and some 10,000 accredited journalists and bloggers in attendance. It also brings together key players from other media, including the film and games industries. Since 1976, the Book Fair has featured an annual Guest of Honour country, which showcases its book market, literature and culture to attendees in a variety of ways. The Frankfurter Buchmesse organises the participation of German publishers at around 20 international book fairs and hosts trade events throughout the year in major international markets. With its Business Club, the Frankfurter Buchmesse offers essential services and an ideal setting for the activities of publishers, entrepreneurs, pioneers, experts and visionaries. THE ARTS+ was launched in 2016 as a fair, business festival and international meeting place for the culture and creative industries. It aims to exploit the potential of digitalisation for creative content and to develop new business areas. The Frankfurter Buchmesse is a subsidiary of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Publishers & Booksellers Association). www.book-fair.com(opens in a new window)
Contact for the media:
Press & Corporate Communications Frankfurter Buchmesse
Katja Böhne, Vice President Marketing & Communications, tel.: +49 (0) 69 2102-138, press@book-fair.com(opens in a new window)
Kathrin Grün, Head of PR and Communications, tel.: +49 (0) 69 2102-170, gruen@book-fair.com(opens in a new window)
> Press information online >www.buchmesse.de/en/press/press-releases(opens in a new window)
> Photos in print quality >www.buchmesse.de/en/press/press-material(opens in a new window)