Destiny Awaits
at AIBF
FROM PUBLISHING
TRENDS (MAY 2001)
The
Asia International Book Fair may be the new kid
on the block of Asian fairs. But as it wrapped up its
second consecutive year during the week of April 24,
it was clear that the annual trade book show has already
given the region some much-needed exposure, sparking
a broad conversation about emerging trends in the Pacific
Rim.
This year the fair brought together over 360 participating
companies from 24 countries. The AIBF
and International Library Expo were also held
in conjunction with the Publishing and Library Asia
Conference (PAL Asia) and the Emerging Trends in
Library and Archival Services (e-tlas) show. The
key focus this year was on — you guessed it — emerging
technologies and the opportunities and challenges of
the knowledge-based economy. The schedule included tech
gurus such as Pearson advisor Carlos Alcazar,
speaking on the travails of international distribution
and reviewing a partnership model that Pearson Broadband
hopes to roll out for its international expansion using
local partners. Other events on the roster included
a primer on the formidable retailing concept known as
the “modern lifestyle bookstore” from Kenny Chan,
merchandising division manager for Kinokuniya.
Of course, in a printed statement on “DBooks and Libraries,”
Dean Mason, business development manager for
Australia’s Common Ground Publishing, minced
no words about the cosmic fate awaiting us all: “The
mass market of book production and distribution, as
we have seen it evolve since the 1950s, is collapsing
in on itself, facing its entropic destiny.” To stave
off impending doom, he promoted the concept of libraries
as “centres of publishing excellence” that combine online,
multilingual publishing tools and print-on-demand technologies,
all funneled through a library’s localized physical
and digital resources.
The fair also launched an online rights center and appointment
scheduler, while another highlight was the International
Board on Books for Young People gallery, where IBBY
Honor List books were displayed to encourage international
understanding through children’s literature. All in
all, AIBF seems to have made the leap from a library-oriented
event to global coverage of a wide variety of media
and markets. Stay tuned as the event keeps reinventing
itself as the reference show for Asia.
We
thank Shirley Hew and Leona Oh, both of Times Media
Pte Ltd., for their contribution to this report.
©2001
Publishing Trends
