Olympians: Digital Spotlight 2015

If you’re a regular attendee of the London Book Fair, you probably remember the Olympia London, the fair’s home through 2005. But like the publishing business itself, a lot’s changed in 10 years. The 2015 London Book returns to Olympia following a more than £20 million refurbishment, which has restored the architectural gem in the heart of West London to glory—and then some.

“The Olympia of today is very different from the Olympia we left in 2005,” says London Book Fair director Jacks Thomas. “It is bigger, lighter, and enjoys much greater connectivity among the halls, conference center, and gallerias.”

Of course, one part of the fair that did not exist a decade ago was the Tech Central digital hub and its digital theater—the Theatre @ Tech. Both have made the move to Olympia, too—and have expanded. Once again, a wide array of digital solutions providers will be on hand among the more than 1,500 exhibiting companies. And, once again, the Theatre @ Tech will offer three full days of programming, featuring a series of 20-minute presentations, ranging from talks on digital trends to new product demos.

With publishing now a digital business, digital pervades every hall of the fair, and it will be on full display in places like the Author HQ, where talks on digital self-publishing played to overflowing crowds last year, as well as at the Fair’s academic hub—the Faculty—where, for a third year in a row, Publishing Technology will host its popular panel discussion “What Is a Publisher Now?” (Tuesday, April 14, at 11:30 a.m.). According to the program description, this year’s talk will examine scholarly publishing as it enters “the mature phase of its relationship with digital technologies.”

The 2015 London Book Fair will kick off its new Olympia era with some 25,000 attendees expected from 114 countries. And, once again, digital will be at the center of it all.

Theatre @ Tech Schedule

Once again, the Theatre @ Tech offers a full slate of demos and presentations to keep you up on the latest products and trends in digital publishing (consult the London Book Fair website for last minute changes or additions).