The host country had thought no harm in it. The fact that Canada chose “Singular Plurality” as the motto for its appearance at the Frankfurt Book Fair was due to the unity in diversity that it strives for. Now the Queen's North American Empire is the only guest of honor to whom an unpredictable fate has donated not just one, but two guest country appearances. On the update model of the coffee cup, which is reissued every year and which is available at the Evangelical Academy, the year 2020 is emblazoned in pale gray as well as the additional year 2021. In decided red to the 73rd book show, which opens in the exhibition hall on October 19th. It will be pretty unique, the firstto which exhibitors and visitors are again admitted after the almost exclusively digital trade fair in the first year of the corona pandemic.

Florian Balke

Culture editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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One thing is clear: the trade fair is getting smaller. According to book fair director Juergen Boos, only 1500 exhibitors have registered so far. That is only a fifth of the approximately 7,500 who came in October 2019 to the last trade fair under normal conditions. In the spring, Boos had hoped for two-thirds. But at least - they are coming. And even from 74 countries. Most recently there were around 120. But a trip to Frankfurt is still of interest to members of the book industry from all over the world. Even if the foreign participants this year are more likely to come from Europe than from North America and Asia. And two thirds of them prefer to gather at the 41 national stands than risk their own stands. That saves costs and gives security. Others just send their sales team. Or largely forego a visit,because there is a risk of several weeks of quarantine when returning home.

There will be something of everything that the book fair has to offer in order to satisfy trade visitors and readers alike: foreign publishers, German publishers, agents, authors, the public.

But is that enough to ignite the magic that emanates from many new license agreements or the encounter with numerous stars on public Saturday?

It is still not a normal book show, says Boos: “But it will be a great fair.

A fair where people meet again. ”How many trade visitors and readers will come remains to be seen.

So far, "several tens of thousands" cards have been sold.

Access according to 3G rules

The municipal health department allowed him and his employees 25,000 visitors on each of the five days of the fair, for a total of up to 125,000. That is less than half of the good 300,000 that were counted in 2019. “But still a proud number,” says Gabi Rauch-Kneer, who is responsible for trade fair management in the book fair offices on Braubachstrasse. Since guests come from countries with very different vaccination rates and vaccines, the book show takes place according to 3G rules. Whoever wants to go to the exhibition halls has to be vaccinated, recovered or tested. There are test centers at the entrances, inside there is a mask requirement until fixed seats are reached at one of the exhibition stands. The corridors between them are six meters wide, twice as wide as usual.is controlled by video cameras in the operations center of Messe Frankfurt, the security service is instructed to intervene. At the stands, the exhibitors themselves are required to control the number of visitors. Queues for readings are permitted, but only if the rules of distance and mouth and nose cover are observed. "We are convinced that we can offer a safe event," said Rauch-Kneer.

The 200 authors who can be heard on the exhibition grounds and at the 57 mostly free events of the “Bookfest” in the city center include 58 from Canada, led by Peace Prize winner Margaret Atwood. The Federal Republic contributes authors from Stefan Aust and Robert Habeck to Volker Kutscher and Sven Regener. More than 400 Canadian books have been translated into German, the aim is to 200, said Jennifer-Ann Weir, who is responsible for the guest country appearance and has been in Germany for three weeks. Canada has an English-speaking and a French nationality.

The trade visitor plans for this year are more digital than those for the public weekend.

In addition to the “The Hof” discussion format presented a year ago, which will take place 15 times from the end of September, there will be “The Conference” a week before the fair.

The publishing format “The Masterclasses” is also new.

Registration as a digital exhibitor and rights trading via the Frankfurt Rights website will remain possible.

"The future of trade fairs is hybrid and year-round," said Ruth Kumpmann, Head of Key Accounts and Sales.

Another step is intended for readers.

For the first time, they are not allowed to go to the fair on Saturday, but on Friday at 2 p.m.

For re-encounters.