Attendance Statistics from Frankfurt Show Diverse Fair

By Hannah Johnson

The Frankfurt Book Fair released its attendance statistics yesterday evening: “7,384 exhibitors from 106 countries were present, and the more than 3,200 events attracted 280,194 visitors.” The total number of visitors rose very slightly by 1 percent, and the Literary Agents Centre grew by 11 percent.

Juergen Boos, Director of the Frankfurt Book Fair, pointed to digital start-ups one of the main trends at this year’s Fair: “This is now the time for start-ups, and the book industry is in a positive mood for renewal . . . An enormous diversity of ideas arises from the combination of enterprising spirit and technological opportunity. The international book and publishing industry has become a lot more multi-facetted.”

The expanded conference track was also a highlight in 2011, with an increased number of conferences and training seminars available this year under the Frankfurt Academy umbrella.