Focus On

In addition to a packed program of key meetings and talks linked to prizes and exhibitions, the Bologna Children’s Book Fair is a hive of activity - with cultural events and business training programs for everyone in the kid's content industry today.

Significant space and priority is given to the professional category of Illustrators, who can find at Bologna Children’s Book Fair support and encouragement to develop their work and opportunities to meet with other operators in the publishing market and other sectors: first of all, the annual Illustrators Exhibition, but also the Illustrators Café – a space for conferences and meetings – and the Illustrators Survival Corner,  with a rich programme of workshops, portfolio reviews and meetings with international artists.

A great deal of attention is also paid to the new technologies with publishers, developers, TV and cinema producers, animation studios, artists and authors taking part in exciting events that mix startups with established brands and take advantage of the many opportunities offered by the digital, print and media worlds.

A special space is also reserved for professionals of the so-called “invisible craft” – the translators – whose work is so valuable in the world of publishing and multimedia. BCBF hosts the Translators Centre, the World Directory of Children’s Book Translators  the database of children’s book translators, and a series of meetings looking into the world of translating today.

Furthermore, the Literary Agents Centre offers an exclusive area for copyright business, which provides a fully equipped services center, including management and coordination of agents’ appointments.

In 2020, BCBF welcomed comics and graphic novels with a dedicated space, the Comics Corner, in keeping with the rising interest in comics in many parts of the world industry.