Despite a sluggish global economy and political turmoil, official attendance for the 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair rose modestly over 2014.
Frankfurt officials reported 140,474 attended the professional segment of the fair, a razor thin increase over the 140,291 who were at the event in 2014. Total attendance, including consumers, was 275,791, up 2.3% over the 269,534 total visitors in 2014. In addition, 9,900 journalists attended, up from 9,500 last year.
"2015 has been the busiest and most successful book fair for years,” said Juergen Boos, Frankfurt Book Fair director. “Exhibitors from all the different regions told me the same thing time and again in our personal talks.” Boos said the fair’s restructuring has proven successful, strengthening “a feeling of togetherness” in the industry, and "opening people’s eyes to new areas of business.”
Although only a modest increase, the uptick in attendance is welcome news for fair organizers. Overall, since 2009, when the effects of the global recession began to really hit the industry, professional attendance had dropped by down about 6.7%. The fair drew 152,530 professional attendees in 2009.
Fair officials also said that the Frankfurt Business Club, now in its second year, attracted roughly 3,200 visitors, also up over 2014.
