- HH Sheikh Hamdan is shown around the Fair by HE Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan of ADACH, HE Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouie of ADACH and HE Jumaa al Qubaisi of ADIBF
- HH Sheikh Hamdan praises KITAB for introducing new initiatives and is impressed by the international participation
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nayhan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, today inaugurated the 18th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF), being held until the 16th of this month at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

HH Sheikh Hamdan was received by His Excellency Abdel Rahman Al-Owais, Minister of Culture and His Excellency Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage, and taken on a comprehensive tour of the Fair by His Excellency Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouie, Director General of ADACH and His Excellency Jumaa al-Qubaisi, Director of ADIBF. HH Sheikh Hamdan met exhibitors and commented favourably on the international recognition that the Book Fair has achieved. He stressed that this is further indication of the UAE’s capability in organizing exhibitions and conferences of the highest quality standard, and that ADIBF continues to be an important networking and trade venue for the rapidly growing book publishing and media industry in the Arab world.

KITAB, the joint venture between ADACH and the Frankfurt Book Fair, and the organisers of the ADIBF, confirmed that they had to increase floor space by 25% for this year due to the overwhelming reaction from exhibitors. The response from international exhibitors has increased dramatically from last year, with almost 150 publishing houses from the USA, India, China and many European countries attending. International publishing houses include: 32 from India; 29 from the UK; 25 from Germany; 18 from the USA, and; 13 from France. Many more nations are also exhibiting, among them all the major Arab book nations, as well as the Netherlands, Pakistan, Russia and others.

HE Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouie commented, “We extend our appreciation to HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his kind patronage of the 18th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, and the support he has shown towards the various activities we have organised. His generous donation of three million Dirhams will be used to again sponsor subsidised books for children and students, and a great many young people in Abu Dhabi stand to benefit from this kind gesture.

“We are also grateful to HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan for inaugurating the Fair today. His ongoing support is deeply appreciated.”

Al Mazrouie also extended his appreciation for HE Sheikh Sultan for his continued strategic input and support of the development of the Fair. He stressed that the ADIBF represents a significant opportunity in encouraging and promoting cultural and intellectual initiatives for the entire MENA region to publishing trade professionals, authors and the general public.

For the first time ever, the first day of the Fair was held exclusively for trade visitors, including publishers, distributors, librarians and other book professionals. The day began with an ‘Ask the Expert: How to deal with Rights and Licences’ session hosted by Khaled Abbas(Sphinx Agency, Egypt), which opened up a series of similar briefings at the Business Lounge. This was followed by a ‘Briefing: Information on the Arab Book Market for International Publishers’ hosted by Bachar Chebaro (Arab Scientific Publishers, Lebanon). At the targeted matchmaking ADIBF had organised, book professionals had the opportunity to ‘Meet new Business Partners’. Another session hosted by Alexandra Buechler (Literature across Frontiers, UK) called ‘Enhancing Translations Worldwide’ presented international programmes for the promotion of translation. In the evening, the ‘Setting up an Arab Book in Print Catalogue: Preconditions for a Title Database’ was debated and last but not least, an event on ‘Attractive Children’s Libraries- Perspectives from Asia, Europe and Middle East’ concluded the day.