Juergen Boos, Frankfurt Book Fair Director

By Juergen Boos

In the last ten years, we have witnessed a renaissance of culture and knowledge. The digital age has allowed for the proliferation of ideas because everything that touches the web becomes digital content and, as such, it has the potential to become “cultural intellectual property.” Because of this renaissance, our roles as purveyors, curators, and gatekeepers of this IP have changed, grown, and become even more important while also opening us up to stronger relationships with other industries and other markets.

At the Frankfurt Book Fair this fall, we will launch THE ARTS+, a hub for new business in the cultural and creative industries, bringing together anyone who creates, manages, exhibits, publishes, uses, or refines cultural content — publishers, designers, architects, directors, and curators of museums and institutions, software developers, brands, media representatives, artists, and photographers. One focus of this program lies in the democratization of content through digitization and the subsequent questions on intellectual property that arise from this. THE ARTS+ will host presentations, exhibitions, a laboratory, workshops, and conferences for showcasing cross-industry business opportunities, solutions, and best practices.

For those looking to expand their business, hear practical advice, and build relationships around the world, we will again be hosting The Markets: Global Publishing Summit this fall. After a successful launch last year, we have carefully selected seven new markets about which speakers will provide in-depth analysis and future trends: Brazil, Flanders and The Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. We selected these markets because each presents a unique challenge — due to a financial challenge, unknown opportunities — or because it is a key market with opportunities we want to explore.

The Markets will take place on Tuesday, October 18, the day before the fairgrounds open, in the Business Club.

In its third year, the Business Club continues be a great place for executive networking, quiet work areas off the show floor, a more comfortable atmosphere for hosting meetings, and additional programming throughout the week on the event stage.

And, the heart of the Book Fair—rights deals—remains strong with the Literary Agents and Scouts Center (the LitAg) selling out in record time this year.

A version of this story appears in Publishing Perspectives’ Spring 2016 magazine. Be sure to download the magazine here as a PDF.