Frankfurt Remains the Capital of the International Book Trade
Messe Frankfurt and the Frankfurt Book Fair Extend Their Agreement to 2022
The Frankfurt Book Fair will remain on the Main for the future. In the Frankfurt Römer (Frankfurt City Hall), Petra Roth, Mayor of the city of Frankfurt am Main, Michael von Zitzewitz, Chairman of the Board of Management of the Messe Frankfurt (Frankfurt exhibition grounds), Juergen Boos, Director of the Frankfurt Book Fair and Prof. Dr. Gottfried Honnefelder, Director of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Publishers & Booksellers Association), made a joint announcement that the agreement with which the Frankfurt Book Fair, as subsidiary of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association, commits itself to the location of Frankfurt, has been extended to 2022.
Mayor Petra Roth is convinced that the Book Fair belongs in Frankfurt: “For leading international trade fairs, Frankfurt proves itself time and again to be an ideal location. In view of its position at the heart of Europe, as well as its infrastructure, with one of the biggest airports in the world, one couldn’t imagine a better location for the Book Fair. Our absolutely modern exhibition site also provides the perfect conditions for the Book Fair. Their decision to remain long-term is also an emphatic endorsement of Frankfurt as a literary city.” Prof. Dr. Honnefelder emphasized: “The Frankfurt Paulskirche (St. Paul’s Church) and the Frankfurt Book Fair are located only a few steps from each other. Peace Prize and Book Fair, mind and money, culture and commerce are the distinctive symbols of the city of Frankfurt am Main. Thus Frankfurt has been the center of German literary life for 60 years, and that will continue to be the case.”
Upon signing the agreement, Juergen Boos, Director of the Frankfurt Book Fair, said: “For an international event with the magnitude of the Frankfurt Book Fair, it is important to have reliability in the planning and a dependable partner in the organization. We found such a partner in the Messe Frankfurt in 1951 and we are looking forward to further long-term collaboration.”
The history of the Frankfurt Book Fair dates back to the 15th century. In 1949, the modern tradition of the Book Fair in Frankfurt was revived. In 1951, the Book Fair moved from the Römer and Paulskirche to the exhibition site. Today the Frankfurt Book Fair is the largest book and media fair in the world, with more than 7,000 exhibitors from 100 countries and more than 299,000 international visitors, as well as a hallmark and standard for international cultural events. Some 2,900 events, readings, presentations, etc., take place annually in and around the Book Fair.
“With the Book Fair and the Messe Frankfurt, an event and an exhibition site both steeped in tradition join forces. We are especially pleased that we are able to sign this long-term agreement in the 60th anniversary year of the modern Book Fair. Our solidarity has proven itself in the past, and that will also remain true in the future”, commented Michael von Zitzewitz, the Chairman of the Board of Management of the Messe Frankfurt on the signing of the agreement.
With 436 million euros in sales in 2008 (as of November) and over 1,400 employees worldwide, Messe Frankfurt is the world’s largest trade fair organizer. The Group boasts a global network of 29 subsidiaries, five branch offices and 48 international sales partners. Therefore the Messe Frankfurt has a presence in more than 150 countries for its customers, and events “made by Messe Frankfurt” take place at more than 30 locations around the world. In 2008, Messe Frankfurt organized more than 100 trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside of Germany. With 578,000 square metres of floor space, the Messe Frankfurt is currently home to nine halls and an adjoining Congress Centre. Messe Frankfurt is a publicly owned company, the City of Frankfurt owns 60 per cent of the company and the State of Hesse holds 40 per cent.
The Frankfurt Book Fair is the biggest book fair in the world - with more than 7,000 exhibitors from over 100 countries. It also organizes the participation of German publishers at more than 25 international book fairs and is associated with the Cape Town Book Fair in South Africa and the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. It maintains the most visited website worldwide for the publishing industry at www.book-fair.com. The Frankfurt Book Fair is a subsidiary of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association.
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