The Frankfurt Book Fair announced that it has completed the reorganization it announced in November. The changes include the closing of the New York office and the layoffs of several executives, including Katje Bohne, Thomas Minkus, and Holger Volland. The total number of layoffs was not disclosed.
In recent weeks, the fair also conducted a survey of over 200 exhibitors from Germany and abroad to determine the future direction of the fair. The respondents said the fair should "concentrate on the basics," and continue to be a physical event, one that provides a space for literary agents plus rights and licensing meetings, as well as international networking opportunities. German publishers value the public-facing side of the fair, which allows authors to interact with readers. International visitors would like to see better B2B venues and an improved matchmaking tool. The digital tools developed for this year will be further enhanced for next year, the fair said.
“The customer feedback we have received in recent weeks is very valuable to us. It shows that Frankfurter Buchmesse must serve different and in some cases contradictory interests. Yet responding to this diversity is what Frankfurter Buchmesse is known for. We will be presenting our concept for Frankfurter Buchmesse 2021 in a few weeks,” fair director Juergen Boos said in a statement.
