The Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) is preparing to give full voice to its cosmopolitan spirit by engaging directly with the international book community in advance of next year’s 61° iteration of the fair, 8 to 11 April 2024 in BolognaFiere.
The third Grand Tour, a fully-fledged journey around the world, will see the Bologna suite of three fairs take part in five prestigious events in Frankfurt, New York, Guadalajara, London and New Delhi. Exhibitions, meetings and opportunities for discussion and exchanging ideas with professionals in the book industry (publishers, authors, illustrators, graphic designers and others), will all be promoted during the tour. It has a dual aim: to develop its network of international partners and encourage their participation at the BCBF, while promoting the very best of publishing and the Italian publishing sector around the world, laying the foundations for new opportunities for cultural exchange and trade relations. First of all, in the centenary year commemorating the birth of the great 20th Century Italian author, BCBF has chosen to include in the Grand Tour the exhibition Italian Excellence – Illustrations for Italo Calvino, curated by the Accademia Drosselmeier/Cooperativa Giannino Stoppani, promoted by the Emilia-Romagna regional administration and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation with the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. This will be flanked by the presentation of the IBBY Italia Honour List – Turn the World Upside Down, organized by the Italian section of IBBY, the International Board on Books for Young People, of which BCBF and the Association of Italian Publishers (AIE) are founding members. A precious tool for publishers, teachers, librarians and the international public, the Honour List brings together 60 titles that represent the best of Italian releases for children and young people, published in 2021 and 2022, selected by a committee of experts in the sector and members of IBBY, in order to promote Italian publishing abroad and encourage its translation into other languages.
Both exhibitions will include guided tours led by experts selected by BCBF, celebrating its seventh decade with an extensive programme of initiatives with some important guests, showcasing its wealth of activities and expertise.
Other integral parts of the Tour are: BolognaBookPlus (BBPlus), the trade fair extension of BCBF aimed at general trade publishing and produced in collaboration with the Association of Italian Publishers (AIE), and Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids (BLTF/Kids), the leading Italian and European licensing event specifically for brands for children, teens and young adults. Bringing three events together under the umbrella of BolognaFiere represents an opportunity to promote Italian publishing excellence around the world, made possible also thanks to the support of ITA – the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).
Discover all the initiatives and exhibitions at each stop!
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 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 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.
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.
GALLERIES
GLOBAL RIGHTS EXCHANGE
FAIRTALES
