BCBF

BBPLUS

BLTF

CCBF

The Bologna Grand Tour

 

The Bologna Grand Tour, the travelling autumn tour through which Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) showcases its best initiatives to the world, is about to begin its fourth consecutive edition, bolstering the Fair’s relationships with foreign operators, promoting their links with Italian publishing and expanding the network of international relations ahead of the next edition of the Fair (in Bologna from 31 March to 3 April 2025).

Also for this edition of the tour BCBF will be flanked by BolognaBookPlus (BBPlus), the initiative specifically for generalist publishing organised in collaboration with the Association of Italian Publishers (AIE), and by Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids (BLTF/Kids), focussed on the relationship between the worlds of publishing and licensing.

BCBF always works to support developments and intercept trends in the publishing sector: this attention has led, in recent years, to the creation of the Comics Corner and the TV/Film Rights Centre, business areas developed in the wake of the increasingly rapid growth of the comics sector and of the sale of audiovisual rights, and of the BolognaRagazzi CrossMedia Award, the prize that rewards excellence in projects that intersect publishing content and other media. To these will be added, starting from the 2025 edition, the new Games Business Centre (in collaboration with Frankfurter Buchmesse), a meeting area for publishers and gaming industry professionals. The focus of this fourth Grand Tour will be on these projects, which the Bologna Fair intends to bring to the attention of the international public through its participation, for the first time, also in two of the leading fairs in these sectors: the Cartoon Forum in Toulouse and the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d'Angoulême. 

 

Organised with the support and collaboration of ITA - the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the 2024-2025 Grand Tour will touch the following destinations: Cartoon Forum in Toulouse (from 16 to 19 September); the Frankfurter Buchmesse (from 16 to 20 October), where BCBF will also take part in the Italy Country Guest of Honour 2024 programme with several initiatives, including the exhibition in the Italian Pavilion ‘From illustration to comics. Pencils in talented young hands' specifically for young talents of contemporary Italian illustration;  the China Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair (from 15 to 17 November), co-organised by BolognaFiere and an annual opportunity to engage with one of the world’s most flourishing publishing markets and which, together with BCBF, this year will be celebrating the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s death; the Guadalajara International Book Fair (from 30 November to 8 December), a reference point for the entire Latin American and Spanish-speaking publishing world; the Angoulême International Comics Festival (from 29 January to 2 February 2025), one of the world’s most prestigious comics events and a precious opportunity to promote Comics Corner, the business area created by BCBF in 2022 to keep up with the constant growth of the comics sector.

Discover all the initiatives and exhibitions at each stop! 

External Link
Press Release

First stop: Toulouse!

Second stop: Frankfurt!

Third stop: Shanghai!

Fourth stop: Guadalajara!

Fifth stop: Angoulême!

The Bologna Grand Tour Archive

 

BOLOGNA

Three world-class events for the book industry, managed by BolognaFiere and focussing on the international trade in rights and licences, taking place in parallel in Bologna, a city where culture and style converge and business relationships are forged.

 

BolognaBookPlus (BBPlus)

BolognaBookPlus is the initiative launched in 2020 by BCBF/BolognaFiere, in collaboration with the Association of Italian Publishers (AIE), to reach out to a wider audience in the field of publishing through a three-day exhibition, training events, conferences and other initiatives. The event takes place in conjunction with the popular Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Jacks Thomas has been appointed Guest Director of BolognaBookPlus and will be supported by a British team working in tandem with the Bologna team.

 

Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF)

Bologna Children's Book Fair is the world's leading trade fair dedicated to publishing and content for children. Attended by 1,500 exhibitors, it attracts around 30,000 visiting professionals from around 100 countries. BCBF celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2023 and each year attracts a unique yet diverse international public of publishers, agents, developers, illustrators, authors, booksellers, librarians and other professionals involved not only in the book industry, but also in multimedia and children’s content licensing.

 

Bologna Licensing Trade Fair Kids (BLTF/Kids)

The Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids is the leading Italian and European licensing event specifically for brands for children, teens and young adults. The event held its 16th edition in 2023. The licensing business fair is an integral part of the prestigious Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF), the world’s leading trade fair for children's publishing. The main events at BLTF/Kids include the International Kids Licensing Days, a unique chance to find out more about the main content for children, from animation to licensing, publishing to digital.

 

BolognaFiere

BolognaFiere S.p.A. is one of the leading trade exhibition organisers in Europe with over 85 events. As a world leader in organising trade fairs in a variety of sectors, including art, children’s publishing, cosmetics, agribusiness, construction and design, BolognaFiere has developed a formidable portfolio of international trade fairs in the major North American and Asian markets, including China, with eight events held to date.
 


 

 


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