At the Louvre Abu Dhabi pavilion in the 2024 edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. Image: ADIBF
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Stand Registration Closes January 24
In the United Arab Emirates, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) has announced that 99 percent of the stands for the 34th edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) were booked nearly a month before the registration deadline of January 24.
A part of this level of interest could be related to the fair’s announcement in late October that it would expand its run this year to 10 days (April 26 to May 5). In fact, the program has helped to stabilize the springtime calendar of publishing-related events in the Emirates with its unprecedented release of six years of upcoming dates:
- The 34th ADIBF: April 26 to May 5, 2025
- The 35th ADIBF: April 25 to May 4, 2026
- The 36th ADIBF: April 24 to May 3, 2027
- The 37th ADIBF: April 22 to May 1, 2028
- The 38th ADIBF: April 28 to May 7, 2029
- The 39th ADIBF: April 27 to May 6, 2030
This is helping other fairs that operate near the Abu Dhabi show—or near it on the calendar—to set their own dates without scheduling conflicts. In a relatively small (geographically) market like the UAE, date conflicts can mean that more than one event loses audience share to another, helping no one.
Many event presenters in the world publishing industry at large would be pleased to see a much broader exercise in date-announcement and registration so that there were fewer date clashes in the international book fair and trade show scene for professional publishing personnel to dodge.
Nevertheless, another element of the quick sales for this year’s fair has to do with an aggressive early-bird discount, the program says in its announcement: “The Arabic Language Centre was able to encourage publishers to participate in the exhibition by offering a 10-percent discount on registration fees to publishers which completed their bookings between the opening of registration on July 29 and October 31.
“During this period, 79 percent of the exhibition pavilions were booked.”
Urging Quick Action by Exhibitors
On the exhibition floor of the National Exhibition Center, ADNEC, at the 2024 Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. Image: ADIBF
In its media messaging about the robust reservations underway for the final remaining exhibition-floor spots, the language center says, “The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair management has urged interested publishers to complete their registration before the deadline, stressing that the high level of interest in participating in the event reflects publishers’ confidence” in the event, both as a culturally relevant place to be seen and also, of course, for the commercial value of the show being a major bookselling event, as are so many book fairs in the Arab world.
The fair’s organizers say that this year they anticipate offering “a comprehensive program featuring more than 2,000 activities, including intellectual seminars; panel discussions; workshops; and entertainment events designed to engage all segments of society.”
The new 10-day format—which brings the show closer in its duration to the largest of these Arab world fairs, the Sharjah Book Authority‘s Sharjah International Book Fair in the autumn–is intended “to broaden the scope” of the Abu Dhabi show’s initiatives, organizers tell us, “and enhance its cultural and professional programs, “in line with Abu Dhabi’s pivotal role in the growth of the publishing industry and the promotion of the presence and dissemination of the Arabic language.”
Dr. Ali Bin Tamim
A part of this line of promotion, of course, has to do with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center’s prominent efforts in Arabic-focused events under the direction of Dr. Ali Bin Tamim. As Publishing Perspectives noted earlier this week, the Arabic Language Centre is not only the home of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, with its 7.8-million-dirham purse (US$2.1 million), but also the sponsor again this year of the US$50,000 International Prize for Arabic Fiction.
An interesting characterization of its work in the newly released messaging about stands going fast mentions the Abu Dhabi fair as a program that has earned the world publishing industry’s “trust as a key supporter of the sustainability of the publishing and cultural sectors.” This may indicate that the language center will stress more programming on sustainability in publishing this year.
The 2024 edition of the book fair featured the participation of its expected 1,350 publishing houses from 90 countries, according to organizers.
An entrance to the 2024 Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. Image: ADIBF
More from Publishing Perspectives on the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center is here, more on the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is here, more on Arabic literature is here, and more on the many publishing and cultural programs in the United Arab Emirates at large is here. You’ll also find more on upcoming events in Sharjah here. Publishing Perspectives is the world media partner of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award.