With the continuing uncertainty about what will and will not be legally permitted in England by end June, few publishing stakeholders even within the UK will be seriously considering LBF 21 as a priority event, while for international players the uncertainties are compounded by the global restrictions in place.
It’s not the London Book Fair’s fault that the uncertainty about Covid-19 continues to parade a big question mark over the planned June/July event.
But it is the fault of the LBF alone that 29 June through 1 July was selected as the postponed date for the traditional March event, in the full knowledge the situation in UK remained dire, with the vaccination programme barely underway.
It would seen LBF has learned little from its 2020 experience, when the event organisers maintained a bravado pretence that the show would go when all evidence suggested it would not happen.
This headline from TNPS March 3 2020 said it all:
Ghost Town. London Book Fair insists the event will go ahead as Leipzig Book Fair cancelled. LBF exhibitors and visitors vote with their feet.
As Frankfurt announced its October programme today – a hybrid event designed to get the best of both worlds in the new normal – London continues to leave the industry guessing.
Per a statement on the LBF website,
Following the recent UK Gov announcement, The London Book Fair team is now reviewing the published guidelines and seeking greater clarity on what the roadmap towards permitting live events and international travel will mean for LBF 2021. Whilst it is very encouraging to see light at the end of the tunnel, we are also continuing to plan for all scenarios to ensure we are able to best support the industry at this time.
We remain committed to making a final decision by the end of March as to the form The London Book Fair will take in 2021 and are in constant dialogue with our customers and partners.
Elsewhere the LBF site states casually,
Currently, we are planning for all scenarios and remain committed to making a final decision on the show by the end of March. Here’s how LBF could look this year:
This followed by a list of predictable and common-sense safety precautions that will be in place.
It says it all that this is the only thing LBF can tell us about an international publishing event now a little over three months away, and suggests that even after the 2020 debacle the LBF organisers is still treating its raison d’être – the publishing industry itself – as an afterthought.
With the continuing uncertainty about what will and will not be legally permitted in England by end June, few publishing stakeholders even within the UK will be seriously considering LBF 21 as a priority event, while for international players the uncertainties are compounded by the global restrictions in place.
And that’s before we even begin to think about whether the companies themselves, with ethical and legal responsibilities to their staff, will want to ask their employees to put themselves at potential risk by visiting a country where, as this post goes live, lockdown is in progress and even bookstores will not be allowed to re-open until April 12 – two weeks after LBF Director Andy Ventris will tell us what form LBF 21 will take.
Frankfurt of course had the advantage of being an October event anyway, giving much more time for Germany and the world to emerge from the pandemic crisis. But just why on earth would the LBF pick end June, rather than much later in the year, as its new date?
Last year Frankfurt attracted 200,000 online visitors to its virtual event, and this year the hybrid event will seek to learn those lessons while also pandering to the needs of the industry for in-person engagement. And it has seven months to get it right.
Rumour has it Andy Ventris has some sort of digital element planned for LBF, but all indications are that any digital efforts will be token. In any case, digital, in-person or hybrid, the industry needs adequate time to plan its calendar, and LBF seems determined to ride roughshod over those needs.
Hopefully Ventris will surprise us all, come the end of month, and announce something meaningful for the industry.
