German Chancellor and French President to open the Frankfurter Buchmesse
Frankfurt, 5 October 2017 – On Tuesday, 10 October 2017, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron will open the Frankfurter Buchmesse (11-15 October 2017). France’s participation as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2017 is under the auspices of the French President. With the slogan “Francfort en français / Frankfurt in French”, the focus of the Guest of Honour programme is the French language, which is spoken by 274 million people on five continents. 180 French-language authors are expected in Frankfurt during the week of the fair and 300 events will be held. Following the official ceremony in the Congress Center of Messe Frankfurt, the German Chancellor and French President will open the Guest of Honour pavilion.
“The presence of Chancellor Merkel and President Macron at the opening of the Frankfurter Buchmesse symbolises the close relationship between Germany and France and their commitment to a strong, unified Europe”, says Juergen Boos, Director of the Frankfurter Buchmesse.
In addition to Juergen Boos and Heinrich Riethmüller, Chairman of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, other speakers at the opening ceremony of the 69th Frankfurter Buchmesse include Volker Bouffier, Minister-President of Hesse, and Peter Feldmann, Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main. This year’s literary speakers, who are traditionally chosen by the Guest of Honour committee, are the author Wajdi Mouawad and actor Judith Rosmair.
Please note: The opening ceremony on Tuesday, 10 October 2017, is fully booked, but limited spaces are still available for the press. Please note that we cannot guarantee your participation in the opening ceremony.
For media accreditation to the Frankfurter Buchmesse (http://www.book-fair.com/en/fbf/press/accreditation/), journalists can register via e-mail to press@book-fair.com. Deadline: 5 October 2017, 5.00 pm CET.
For accreditation, the following information is required:
• Surname, first name
• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• Medium
• Role (camera[wo]man, photographer, assistant, radio, print journalist)
• For TV teams: Number of and names of team members
• Desired press area (red carpet, speaker photos, “Harmonie” hall, forum)
About the Frankfurter Buchmesse
The Frankfurter Buchmesse is the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair – with over 7,150 exhibitors from 106 countries, around 278,000 visitors, over 4,000 events and approximately 10,000 accredited journalists of which 2,400 are bloggers – in attendance. It also gathers key players from other media, including the film and games industries. Since 1976, the Frankfurter Buchmesse 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. Founded in 2016, THE ARTS+ is a business festival for creatives, investors, publishers, museums, tech companies, that takes place at Frankfurter Buchmesse. The Frankfurter Buchmesse is a subsidiary of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association. www.book-fair.com
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
Kathrin Grün, Head of Press & Communications, Tel.: +49 (0) 69 2102-170, gruen@book-fair.com
> Press information online >www.buchmesse.de/en/press/press-releases
> Photos in print quality >www.buchmesse.de/en/press/press-material