Information for visitors to Frankfurter Buchmesse
Frankfurt Connect app now available / free drinking water / general public tickets only available online
New: The Frankfurt Connect App
The new Frankfurt Connect app is now available free of charge in the app stores. It contains all the events, exhibitors and speakers. The app also offers practical trade fair information on catering in and outside the exhibition halls, as well as a hall plan. To help you organise your visit to the trade fair, the app also includes a personal calendar with reminders, a matchmaking function and a list of favourites for registered visitors.
More: https://www.buchmesse.de/en/app(opens in a new window)
Arrival and departure
For an environmentally friendly journey to the trade fair, we recommend using public transport, which is included in trade visitor and exhibitor tickets free of charge. The ‘Messe’ stop is served by suburban trains and buses, while the ‘Festhalle/Messe’ stop is served by underground trains, trams and buses. To ensure that long-distance travel to Frankfurt is also climate-friendly, Frankfurter Buchmesse has arranged special fares with Deutsche Bahn.
More: https://www.buchmesse.de/en/visit/arrival-accommodation(opens in a new window)
General public tickets only available online
Numerous literature fans are once again expected to attend the book fair weekend in 2024. To ensure that a visit to the fair is a safe and positive experience for everyone, the sale of general public tickets is limited in coordination with Messe Frankfurt. Tickets for Saturday in particular are expected to be sold out before the fair. There will therefore be no box office sales on site at the weekend. Visitors are therefore advised to secure tickets for their preferred day in advance in the online ticket shop.
More: https://www.buchmesse.de/en/visit/tickets#52092(opens in a new window)
Free stand event tickets for signing sessions
Some publishers organise their own signing sessions or book sales with free stand event tickets. Details can be found in the FBM24 event calendar or on the respective publisher's website.
Waiting areas for Halls 1.2 / 3.0 at the weekend
To ensure an optimal trade fair experience at the weekend, even in the more heavily frequented halls, there are new waiting areas. For Hall 1.2 with the New Adult Area, there is a waiting area in Hall 1.1. For Halls 3.0 and 4.0, there are also separate waiting areas in the outdoor space directly next to the hall.
More: https://www.buchmesse.de/en/waiting-areas(opens in a new window)
Safety instructions
Security is a top priority at Frankfurter Buchmesse. To ensure security at the largest international book fair, Frankfurter Buchmesse team liaises closely with various partners: the Hesse Police, Messe Frankfurt and the security company it commissions, as well as the city's fire and rescue services. The security precautions are always adapted to the current situation. Visitors should be prepared for bag checks at all entrances to the exhibition centre and take this into account in their time planning. Weapons, replicas of weapons (‘simulated weapons’), pocket knives and irritant sprays are prohibited on the exhibition grounds. It is also advisable to leave bulky items of luggage such as rucksacks or trolleys at home in order to reduce the number of bag checks.
Emergency services and Operation & Security Centre
Police officers and security guards will be on duty in all exhibition halls throughout the trade fair. Medical care will be provided by the medical station on the exhibition grounds with a medical presence (DRK, Hall 4.0 South/West, Operation & Security Centre (OSC) entrance, Tel.: +49 (0) 69 7575-6500). In the Operation & Security Centre, representatives of the police, Messe Frankfurt, security guards, the fire brigade and the rescue services will also monitor the course of the trade fair via video cameras. They are in close contact with the emergency services in the halls and on the exhibition grounds as well as with the exhibition management office. The police (110) and fire brigade (112) can be contacted via the usual emergency numbers. The emergency numbers can also be used from foreign mobile devices without dialing codes.
Safety instructions for cosplayers
To avoid confusion during the fair, special regulations apply to cosplay weapons. There is no general ban on cosplay weapons at Frankfurter Buchmesse. However, all simulated weapons are prohibited. This refers to objects that look deceptively similar to real weapons, especially functional firearms, e.g. soft air weapons and dummies of all kinds. These weapons must always be handed in at the entrances. All other cosplay weapons will be clearly labelled by staff at the entrances and must be visible to trade fair visitors and security staff from a distance.
Accessibility
Removing barriers is a high priority for Frankfurter Buchmesse. In order to improve accessibility, a variety of measures are implemented, such as simultaneous interpreting of selected events in German Sign Language (DGS).
More: https://www.buchmesse.de/en/visit/accessibility(opens in a new window)
Sustainability
Frankfurter Buchmesse implements a wide range of measures to make the event as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible. For example, visitors can fill up their own drinking bottles free of charge at a drinking water tap in the Agora. Other measures include largely dispensing with aisle carpets, regional catering, reducing print materials and upcycling used trade fair materials (e.g. trade fair bags made from trade fair flags).
More: https://www.buchmesse.de/en/about-us/sustainability(opens in a new window)
Book sales
From the Friday of the fair (from 2 p.m.) until the end of the fair on Sunday, books can be sold/purchased at a fixed retail price at most of the fair stands.
Fair guide
All other important information about FBM24 can be found in the fair guide.
More: https://www.buchmesse.de/en/visit/fair-guide(opens in a new window)