Frankfurt Book Fair to Stay Put
by Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 4/14/2003
After what communications director Holger Ehling termed "a very, very tough battle," the Frankfurt Book Fair has won enough concessions from the Frankfurt Fair Grounds and city hotels to keep the annual event in Frankfurt until at least 2010. Because of high exhibit and hotel costs, fair executives had been threatening to move the book convention to Munich.
The fair grounds agreed to a "substantial" reduction in rent, and fair management has agreed to coordinate all services necessary to set up the show, thus lowering costs, Ehling said. He said the lower costs will allow the fair to reduce the proposed 15% to 50% price hikes for exhibit space to a 7.5% increase. Under terms of the new lease, the fair will be able to keep price increases down to about the rate of inflation until 2010, Ehling said.
For their part, hotel owners have agreed to do away with the six-day minimum stay they have required in the past, a source of great irritation to many attendees. "No more minimums," Ehling said. While fair-goers "won't find a bargain hotel" in Frankfurt, Ehling said, hotel prices in 2004 will be frozen at 2003 rates. In addition, the fair will reserve a block of rooms beginning in 2004 and will pass along its discount to attendees. Ehling also promised that fair management will make major improvements to the rights center in time for this year's fair.
