By Erin L. Cox, Publisher | @erinlcox
Frankfurter Buchmesse’s Vice President of Marketing & Sales Highlights Changes Coming in 2026
Last month at the Frankfurt Book Fair, FBM Next: The future of Frankfurter Buchmesse was unveiled and discussed with exhibitors from around the world. To get more details about this plan, Publishing Perspectives sat down with Christian Ebert, VP of Marketing & Sales, Frankfurter Buchmesse to get more details about the transition and why it is important.
Dr. Christian Ebert, Image: Frankfurter Buchmesse
Publishing Perspectives: It has been announced that there is a new hall concept at the 2026 fair – can you tell us about the fair’s overall goal and vision here?
Christian Ebert: As the leading fair for international publishing, Frankfurter Buchmesse feels a responsibility to help publishers and service providers adapt with the changing marketplace – to expand their business, to engage with partners from around the world, and to connect with the next generation of readers. Like the industry itself, our business model is comprised of three pillars: offering a marketplace for international business, a platform for cultural-political discussions, and featuring a literary festival for readers over the weekend. We are in constant conversations with our exhibitors and partners about how to enhance the fair experience for all of our customers.
The uniqueness of the fair derives from being both an integrated B2B and B2C fair. With our new strategy we aim to strengthen both parts. What does this mean? We want to preserve our DNA as the market leader, the most important networking place for the international publishing industry and, at the same time, seize the opportunities the ever-growing attendance by the general public offers to not only our German publishers but also international publishers.
PP: Next year, some exhibitors will move from the ground floors of Halls 3, 4, 5, and 6 to the upper levels. Can you tell us what promoted the need for this change?
CE: Over the last several years, our exhibitors have been finding that their business is being disrupted by the general public when they enter the fairgrounds on Friday. When we talk with our international customers – publishing houses, agents, service providers, printers etc. – about their future needs, one request has been repeated again and again: ‘Please keep and strengthen the business atmosphere of the fair without integrating the general public too much into the trade fair.’
From the point of view of the general public who are eager to engage with their favorite authors and discover new writers, we aren’t giving them enough time at the book fair. So, we need to find a compromise that suits both our key audiences.
We are an international trade fair with exhibitors from more than 90 countries and trade visitors from more than 130 countries. Hence, it is of utmost importance and vital for us that our international customers are happy and are able to conduct valuable business in Frankfurt on all the days they attend. In the past years, the fair has been growing – especially in terms of visitor numbers. For us it is important to guarantee within the fair’s infrastructure that, even with large crowds of visitors, our attendees are able to achieve their goals in Frankfurt. That’s why have devised our new concept for the 2026 fair.
With more public visitors attending on Friday, some of our exhibitors and trade visitors complained about not being able to get fast enough from one meeting to the next within the halls, or to the LitAg, our Literary Agents & Scouts Centre, due to the crowds of people in walkways and on escalators.
From 2026 on we will give the upper floors on the fairgrounds a clear focus: on international business, on trade visitors and on rights and licensing. The concept foresees that on the upper levels of the Halls 3, 4, 5 and 6 our customers with a business focus will be presenting their books, products and services. The LitAg will be situated in Hall 4.2, more centrally located to the other halls. This means that the international publishing industry will be located on the floors that are all interconnected by the Via Mobile – the walkway on the upper floor. That way we will keep distances short and make navigation around the fairgrounds easier.
Also, with this focus on the upper level our team at Frankfurter Buchmesse can develop specific offerings to enhance the business experience in these halls; such as more space for networking and meetings. While on the ground floors of these halls the exhibitors whose main goal is to engage with the public visitors will be given the opportunity to organize book signings and events with exciting new authors.
PP: News about this wasn’t announced widely until the book fair this year, when exhibitors are meant to also rebook for next year. Why wasn’t this communicated earlier and what is the urgency to make this change?
CE: Since 2023, we have been trying to find a way to integrate both the general public and maintain the high level of B2B engagement for our exhibitors. With each change, we are talking with our exhibitors and attendees to get their feedback. The new concept was developed as a result of many conversations with our customers, with them telling us what is important to them going forwards: to ensure the business focus of the fair, to keep walking distances short, and to have focused, uninterrupted business meetings on the days that the general public is given access to the fair. As you can imagine, a lot of complex planning and coordination was necessary before we were ready to present the concept, since we wanted to make sure that it will work for our many different customer groups. Also, it was important to have face-to-face conversations with our key customers during the 2025 fair. We continue to optimize the concept with the current feedback we are getting from our exhibitors.
PP: The early response from those who have heard about the change has been mixed, at best, with many people being frustrated that they can’t have the same position they have had for years or they are unable to have the same booth construction due to space restrictions. Can you provide any insight into how you are going to work with them to achieve their goals within this new structure?
CE: I know that there has been some negative feedback and that some exhibitors think that we are prioritizing the general public over exhibitors. But the new hall concept is a way to develop both the business and the public sides of Frankfurter Buchmesse. That change is necessary; it mirrors what the marketplace requires. We understand that there are reservations due to individual circumstances – especially when it comes to moving into another hall, and the disruption this causes. At the same time, our book fair team has shown in the past that we can manage change well to meet our customers’ needs. Over the years, we have moved the English-language publishers from Hall 8, we have had to move the publishers out of Hall 5 while it was under construction, we have opened Hall 1.2 as an option, and we have moved the LitAg several times. Change is never easy, but we strive to make sure that we’re able to again make it work for our exhibitors and trade visitors. We are engaging in close conversations with our customers right now and will, of course, try to find an acceptable solution for every case.
PP: Over the last several years, exhibitors and literary agents have been moved quite a few times. What advice do you have for them as they continue to have to readjust their schedules and brand awareness based on these moves?
CE: While change can cause disruption, change can also bring new opportunities. A different location creates new possibilities for visibility and international business. The book fair will support these opportunities through trying to find ways to support our exhibitors. We are currently in conversation with partners to see what might be most helpful. Our goal is to provide our exhibitors and trade visitors with the best possible working atmosphere and offers that add value to their time in Frankfurt, such as our stage programs and networking opportunities.
PP: Non-trade visitors only come into the fair on Friday when most of the business meetings have been concluded. What will be happening in those ground floor areas during the week when they aren’t there?
CE: I think this is a misunderstanding about the new concept. The exhibitors that will be on the ground floor have a focus on engaging with the general public, but their business is not only focused on readers. During the week, they will conduct their rights business with international colleagues and host business meetings with trade visitors and the press, as exhibitors on other floors are doing.
The ground floor also isn’t only for German publishers looking to engage with German readers. With TikTok prompting many readers to read in English, this is an opportunity for publishers with books popular with influencers to sell books to these readers as well.
For more information about FBM Next and the plan for 2026, click here.
Subscribe here for our daily email newsletter highlighting international publishing news.