Sharjah: Ahead of the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2021, which takes place from October 20 to 24, the International Publishers Association (IPA) unveils its InSPIRe Report with crucial findings on ways the ecosystem stakeholders envision the future of global publishing for the post-pandemic era.
The report details a set of actionable recommendations designed specifically as a response to over 60 consultations with key global players in the publishing value chain. These consultations form part of the InSPIRe Charter survey, which offered them an opportunity to detail their challenges and concerns arising from COVID-19.
Built on a comprehensive understanding of on the ground challenges across dozens of local markets, the new report presents guidance on the way forward to enhance resilience and sustainability through multi-stakeholder collaboration to heighten industry solidarity.
Digital engagement
The report also addresses key issues for the industry, including driving digital engagement within local IPA chapters; rebuilding core relationships of authors, illustrators and retailers with publishers and broadening industry partnerships. It also charts the potential future direction for the education sector and seeks to close the digital divide across the publishing ecosystem. Finally, it recommends a dialogue-based re-imagining of future book fairs as hybrid events boasting deeper innovation and robust health and safety protocols.
The October 2021 report follows the IPA landmark report From Response to Recovery: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Publishing Industry, published in November 2020 then the first-of-its-kind, offering practical intelligence and insight based on interviews with 33 senior industry executives.
Frankfurter Buchmesse Hof discussion
In the lead up to the book fair, Bodour Al Qasimi and the CEO of Frankfurter Buchmesse, Juergen Boos, will lead a chat on The Hof platform. Moderated by Felix Zeltner, the dialogue will see Al Qasimi present the overarching vision of the InSPIRe Plan, details of which are being formulated by the IPA Taskforce based on feedback they continue to receive from Charter signatories, on ways the IPA can foster industry-wide cooperation.
Explaining the rationale behind the approach of the InSPIRe Plan, Bodour Al Qasimi will assert that the industry’s future success rests with every stakeholder — in the ecosystem — not only publishers, adding that the road to recovery must, therefore, be able to accommodate the needs of all industry participants, without exception or exclusion.
