First U.S. Rights & Licensing Show to Premiere in New York City in May 2018
Publishers Weekly, the international news platform of the book publishing industry, and book marketing and promotion resource Combined Book Exhibit have partnered with BolognaFiere S.p.A., the leading European exhibition organizer, to launch the New York Rights Fair.
The fair will be the first trade and licensing show in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to the international rights, distribution and licensing of content, both adult and children’s. The inaugural New York Rights Fair is scheduled for May 30 – June 1, 2018, and will be held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in midtown Manhattan. The fair will offer a unique venue for U.S. publishers and agents across adult and children’s markets to network with their global counterparts in the publishing capital of the world.
<< Read more: "New York Rights Fair: Launch Party @ Manhattan" >>
The three-day fair will cover rights sales negotiation and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film, and digital channels. “There is no more essential content marketplace than New York. The U.S. market can be extremely challenging for international publishers to navigate. A trade show dedicated to both adult and children’s rights and licensing, in an intimate setting, will enhance the current landscape of fairs focused on the global rights market,” said George Slowik, Jr., CEO, Publishers Weekly.
Slowik added, “We anticipate that the New York Rights Fair will draw a broad international crowd to the U.S. and believe it is the perfect synergistic fair with BookExpo for people in the rights business.”
With the U.S. market offering lucrative licensing opportunities through the entertainment industry, there has already been strong interest from the international community, after plans for the fair were announced last month. With enthusiasm expressed by exhibitors from China to Catalonia, Sharjah and Italy itself for the first New York Rights Fair, BolognaFiere expects to fill the 20,000 square feet event space at the Metropolitan Pavilion.
"BolognaFiere has had a long and fruitful experience in the organization of numerous international trade shows in many different countries,” said Franco Boni, President of BolognaFiere. “This new venture is the natural progression of our 54-year-long history from one of our main events – the Bologna Children's Book Fair – and the meaningful network that we have established throughout these five decades with the global and professional book community. We are very proud to launch this new show, bringing the flair of Bologna to New York and thereby creating a premium rights marketplace for adult and kids’ content today."
Bologna Mayor Virginio Merola who will be in New York for BookExpo and to celebrate the U.S. announcement of the New York Rights Fair added, "Once again Bologna's important and international perspective as a city is confirmed by this landmark announcement by BolognaFiere.”
“The Bologna Children’s Book Fair is an event that has set Bologna as a benchmark for the culture sector over the years, now celebrates with this new venture, our closer relationship with New York, and it represents a new opportunity to introduce to the world the great qualities of our beautiful city."
Publishers Weekly is building on a long-standing relationship with BolognaFiere, which includes cosponsoring Global Kids Connect. The third annual conference takes place on December 4, 2017 and will then move into the New York Rights Fair in 2018.
New York Rights Fair also intends to launch a number of cultural events around the fair to help promote international titles in the U.S. market. The events will celebrate the artistry, creativity, and innovation of the world’s publishing community, creating a global village that will inspire, educate, and connect the international media world.