Over 300 international publishers to convene ahead of Sharjah International Book Fair

Sharjah: A total of 317 publishers and 33 speakers will convene for a three-day global event beginning on Sunday (November 1), in the lead up to the 39th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), which starts on November 4.

The conference will begin with a discussion titled ‘Global publishing spotlight: Surviving and thriving during a pandemic’, followed by two other sessions, titled ‘Publishing pivoting for the future: How virtual events and social media are connecting publishers and readers across the globe’ and ‘Translated books: Finding new audiences’. The day’s programme will conclude with a session that imparts tips on how to apply for the SIBF Translation Grant, a $300,000 fund exclusively available to participants at the conference.

Participants include traditional and ePublishers from around the globe, rights professionals, publishing consultants, lawyers and other industry experts. There will be at least eight panel discussions on the key issues and challenges facing the publishing sector in the region and around the world.

The Publishers Conference will be live streamed on Zoom.

Strict health protocols

Meanwhile, organisers assured strict COVID-19 preventive measures will be implemented throughout the 39th edition of SIBF, taking place from November 4-14 at Expo Centre Sharjah.

The Sharjah Police will be deploying specialist teams to ensure that a variety of health and safety measures for public gathering as stipulated by the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, are observed in three phases — before, during and after SIBF 2020.

Sanitisation gates and thermal scanners have been installed at all designated entry points at the Expo, which will be used to access the halls where the 1,024 publishers are exhibiting this year. Free face masks will be offered to visitors, and all exhibition halls will undergo a 5-hour disinfection process daily overnight, until the conclusion of the event.