The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is the place to be to take advantage of the growing market potential of the publishing world in the Middle East and North Africa, providing direct access to many of the region’s top professionals and key market players.

At present, the publishing industry has only begun to meet the needs of the 300 million potential readers in the Arab World. As demand grows, the market must professionalise. Backed by the strong purchasing power and political stability of the UAE, Abu Dhabi is positioned to become the motor driving the professional development of the regional publishing industry.

At the Centre of Publishing Growth

The UAE publishing industry itself is growing at 15 to 20% annually with total worth estimated between AED 8 to 10 billion.The UAE is the regional hub for the publishing, printing and advertising industries, and is expected to receive the largest single share of the business to be generated in this sector in the Middle East by 2008. (National Media Council, UAE)

Commitment to Copyright

According to the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the UAE has had the lowest piracy rate in the region for the past ten years, and is the only Middle East entry in the worldwide top 20 list of nations with the lowest piracy rates. At 34%, the UAE’s piracy level is lower than that of several European countries, including Ireland, France, Italy and Spain, and is broadly comparable to Australia (31%), the Netherlands (30%) and the United Kingdom (27%).

Book Sales

The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is also a major venue for book sales. Many regional schools and governmental agencies buy all of their book supplies for the coming year at the fair.