For a guy who says he hasn't had time to have much of an impact, the new Frankfurt Book Fair director, Volker Neumann, has brought with him a blast of fresh air. In just his first six weeks on the job, Neumann has already identified problems that have rankled Frankfurt attendees for years. If he is to be successful in resolving these issues, he will need the help of show visitors, who must abandon their usual stance of resignation, and take action.
For years, American publishers have shaken their heads over the costs and unfriendliness of the hotels close to the fair. To most Americans, "convention rates" mean discounted rates. At Frankfurt, hotel rates during the Buchmesse are double or even triple normal rates. In addition, hotel "guests" are required to pay for the full six days of the fair (and, you can't choose just any window of six days. If you come in a day early, you end up paying for seven days). Thus, the cost of just the hotel for Frankfurt can be more than $3,000.
Over the years, protests have been raised (in 1991, Publishers Weekly's then brand-new publisher, Fred Ciporen, wrote an Open Letter, "Why Frankfurt?" after his first Messe experience), but the general attitude of "what can you do, that's Frankfurt" continued. For some, the cost of the fair became almost a badge of honor; if your company was willing to spring for you to go, it meant that you were a valued employee.
Neumann won the hearts of fairgoers by not only speaking out against the high hotel rates but also by launching a campaign in the media (Frankfurter Allgemeine ran a major piece) to bring the rates down. Neumann even went so far as to joke that he might consider moving the fair to his hometown of Munich (many in the press, unaccustomed to humor from a fair director, took this seriously).
Neumann is the first Frankfurt chief to raise these issues, and he is also the first to experience a downturn in attendance Official figures indicated a 5% drop, but many Frankfurt veterans felt that the crowds were off by far more than that.
Neumann surely must also be aware of the buzz, reported here as well as by our publishing press colleagues in Europe, about the growing rights activity at the London International Book Fair. The New York BEA (which, like the LIBF, is owned by PW's corporate parent, Reed Elsevier) also attracted an increased contingent of rights agents. As people find more hospitable venues in which to do business, expensive, unwelcoming Frankfurt may find itself becoming less and less necessary.
By already addressing this problem, Neumann is to be applauded for recognizing the urgency of the matter. So far, however, he has not met with much success. The head of Tourismus und Congress, the German hotel industry association, responded that the 70,000 beds in Frankfurt are nearly sold out during the fair. Hoteliers do not have much incentive to adjust prices when it appears that this is what the traffic will bear. And that's where attendees can take action.
There are alternatives to staying in the large and expensive city hotel chains. Pat Schroeder, AAP president, stays at the airport and uses the fast and frequent train to get to the Messe grounds. Many other publishers, including Germans, report booking rooms further and further away from the fair. However, these alternatives tend to undercut the full value of the fair; it's like sending people to BEA in New York and asking them to stay on Long Island.
Neumann has said that the fair office will try to reserve blocks of rooms and offer them at a discounted price. This is a good move. Many American shows have used this approach to ensure that hotels do not practice price gouging. Rather than simply applaud Neumann, we need to use our own leverage to show the hotels that the traffic will no longer bear these exorbitant rates. Through the various publishing associations, we need to take it on ourselves to try to negotiate for lower rates. And if we can't get them, finding alternative accommodations may be the only way to send the right signal.
Although a good deal of today's publishing business is conducted by fax and e-mail as well as at the London and BEA shows, the Frankfurt Fair is still valuable. It's just too costly.
