A book trade association whose annual fair has been run by a professional exhibitions company has won a share of the profits. The Paris Salon du Livre wasn't always a cash cow, but after the original organizer, OIP, was taken over by Reed Elsevier's exhibitions division and the event was moved to a fairgrounds site, a combination of add-ons and special events made it worth having.
The showdown came during negotiations for renewal of Reed's five-year (2002—2006) contract with the Syndicat national de l'Edition (SNE), France's publishers' association and proprietor of the salon. This time SNE invited bids from competing fair organizers. Reed-OIP won hands down, but not before agreeing to the creation of a partnership providing for divvying up the proceeds. (In the past, SNE received a "modest" percentage of turnover.) Additionally, Salon exhibitors will benefit from special discounts for showing at other Reed book events, such as BookExpo America and the London and Tokyo fairs.
Stand rentals will not be allowed to rise beyond the present French inflation rate of 2%. SNE sources, while elated at the prospect of having more funds at their disposal to compensate for declining dues revenues because of mergers, indicate that they will nevertheless be leaning on Reed-OIP for a reduction in stand rentals for small presses (already said to be "at cost").
Next year's Salon du Livre, which also includes sectors for magazines, newspapers and multimedia, takes place March 22—27.
