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The Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) has announced that it received applications from about 1,200 Arab publishing houses to participate in the 33rd edition of SIBF, which will take place from 5-15 November at Expo Centre Sharjah.
SIBF also received hundreds of applications from foreign publishing houses who will participate in the 2014 SIBF alongside local government, Arab, and international bodies. It also revealed that 100 per cent of the exhibition space for its 2014 event has already been sold, two months prior to its launch.
Ahmed Bin Rakkad Al Ameri, SIBF Director, said, "For the first time in the history of the book fair, we received about 1,200 participation applications from Arab publishing houses in one edition only. We also managed to completely sell the exhibition space dedicated to publishers, two months before the fair. We are delighted with this overwhelming response, which truly reflects SIBF's continued success in gaining the confidence of Arab publishers, whose presence at the fair is enhanced year-over-year. Thanks to the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of
Sharjah, we will continue to make every possible effort to facilitate the participation of publishers from across the globe, particularly the Arab and Muslim world, in keeping with the spirit of Sharjah as the Capital of Arab and Islamic Culture, and its ongoing support for the publishing industry in the region and the world."
Al Ameri stated that despite the eagerness of SIBF Management to offer more exhibition spaces for publishers, by making use of the entire space available at Expo Centre Sharjah, the overwhelming response by publishers for booking these spaces, has led to the sale of all the available exhibition space record time.
He clarified that publishers' realisation of the big turnout by visitors to the fair, and the growing increase in purchases made by individuals and organisations from year to year, has prompted many publishers to book more space this year, to allow them to showcase a bigger collections of their publications, especially since the 33rd edition of SIBF is set to be the largest in the number of participating publishers and the number of planned events, in addition to hosting high-profile figures, some of which will be visiting the country for the first time.
The SIBF Director expressed confidence that the 2014 SIBF edition will see the participation of leading publishing houses from all over the world. The 2014 SIBF will coincide with Sharjah Islamic Culture Capital 2014 celebrations – a move that will increase visitor response to the fair, which will host the first-ever joint conference in conjunction with the American Library Association (ALA). Taking place from 11-13 November, the SIBF/ALA Conference will be dedicated to
discussing issues related to library science with the participation of Arab and foreign experts from all over the world.
Mr Salim Omar Salim, Head of Sales and Marketing at the Sharjah International Book Fair, said: “We are seeing a year-on-year growth in number of applications for participation from Arabic and International publishing houses, due to the fair’s success at all levels and to the facilities and services offered to publishers at nominal fees compared to similar book fairs in the region and beyond.”
He added: “We are committed to equiping the pavilions and exhibition spaces with everything that a publisher may need. We not only provide stands and technical equipment, but also book trolleys, bags, and daily cleaning services for all the stands and pavilions. These competitive services are paid in other fairs, while we offer them for free to our exhibitors. We are keen to continue supporting publishers and help them benefit from their participation in the SIBF».
The 32nd edition of SIBF, which was held in November 2013, saw the participation of approximately 1010 publishers and exhibiters from 53 countries, including 23 Arab countries and 30 foreign countries, compared with 942 publishers from 62 countries, including 22 Arab and 40 foreign countries in its 31st edition, which took place in 2012.
Each edition of SIBF sees new participations from countries across the world that seek to solidify their presence in such a prestigious Arab and regional cultural extravaganza.
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