The 30th Taipei International Book Exhibition had a better-than-expected turnout of 250,000 visitors for its first physical event in three years, despite the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, the organizers said as the six-day fair concluded on Tuesday.
The turnout and sales recorded by publishers who attended the event exceeded the expectations of the 364 publishers from 31 countries at this year’s book fair, the Taipei Book Fair Foundation, which organized the event with the Ministry of Culture, said in a statement.
Although the turnout was 60 percent of that at the previous physical book fair in February 2019, it was higher than expected, thanks to the Dragon Boat Festival long weekend, and the 200,000 NT$100 shopping vouchers handed out to visitors, the organizers said.
Photo: CNA
Sixty-one talks were held to encourage buyers and sellers to explore potential publishing deals, while seminars on publishing in Spanish and digital marketing were held as mixed online and in-person discussions, the organizers said.
Until June 30, the book fair will continue at more than 200 libraries across the nation, with special exhibitions of award-winning books and a collection of selected publications shown during the Taipei event, the organizers added.
Speaking on behalf of France — this year’s “Guest of Honor” country — Bureau Francais de Taiwan Deputy Director Guillaume Delvallee said that in addition to the musical performances and movies shown during the exhibition, the French office in Taipei has organized more literature and cultural events across the nation in the coming weeks.
They include a French classic film festival at the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute in New Taipei City until July 31, talks and an exhibition at National Central Library in Taipei until June 30 and select French books shown at 30 bookstores in Taiwan, Delvallee said.
Polish Office in Taipei Director Cyryl Kozaczewski was also at the closing ceremony of the book fair, as Poland has been named as the theme country for next year’s event.
Kozaczewski played a video of Polish Book Institute chairman Dariusz Jaworski talking about his country’s plans for next year’s fair.
There were several firsts at this year’s book fair, the organizers said, including the first time Ukraine and Hong Kong had their own dedicated exhibition spaces.
Aside from books, the fair also covered audio books, in a forum with publishers from France and Taiwan, as well as illustrations and graphic works, the organizers said.
France organized a display of comic artist Emmanuel Lepage’s original works, while German, Belgian and Polish publishers brought several graphic books, the organizers said.
First held in 1987 as a biennial event, the Taipei International Book Exhibition became an annual fair in 1998.
After two online-only editions in 2020 and last year due to COVID-19, this year’s fair was the first time the event took place at its usual venue at the Taipei World Trade Center in three years.
Next year’s event is to be held in February, which is when the book fair is usually held, the organizers said.
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