THE 61ST BCBF - TODAY, 11 APRIL, CONCLUDES THE 2024 EDITION OF BCBF, WITH BOLOGNABOOKPLUS AND BOLOGNA LICENSING TRADE FAIR/KIDS: 31,735 TRADE VISITORS

Today, 11 April 2024, saw the conclusion of the 61^st edition of Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF), together with BolognaBookPlus (BBPlus) and Bologna Licensing Trade Fair/Kids (BLTF/K). The event was opened at the BolognaFiere Exhibition Centre on 8 April with a speech by Italian President Sergio Mattarella via live link, addressing the world book community gathered in Bologna and Slovenia, the Guest of Honour Country.

“BolognaFiere was honoured to open the Bologna Children’s Book Fair with the words of Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who made us very proud in front of the large audience from the international publishing sector gathered here. We are particularly satisfied with the success of this edition of the fair, a reward for the work carried out throughout the year and confirmation that Bologna stands at the centre of the world publishing market” Gianpiero Calzolari, Chairman of BolognaFiere.

1,523 exhibitors gathered in Bologna from approximately 100 countries and regions of the world (new entries include Angola, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Cameroon, Colombia, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Monaco, Moldova, Paraguay, the Philippines, Togo, and Uganda). 31,735 trade visitors (up 10% on 2023 figures) took part over the four days of the event in both 385 BCBF events and more than 220 underground events organised by exhibitors at the exhibition centre and around the city.  An international fair also in terms of digital and press coverage: page views reached more than 2 million over the past year, from over 190 countries, and journalists from more than 40 countries attended the event.

The Fair is acknowledged on the international scene as both a promoter and showcase for content and its development across the length of the supply chain for publishing for children and young people – from scouting to the sale of rights, from licensing to the trade in copyrights for audio-visual products – but also much more, such as the event specifically for generalist publishing held in collaboration with the Association of Italian Publishers (AIE). This edition once again confirmed Bologna’s position as the world capital of the trade in copyrights and publishing rights, while registering an increase in participation.

This success is a result of the substantial work carried out by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair on the international scene through activities including tours and initiatives that transcend the Bologna event held in the spring and continue throughout the year also thanks to the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) and ITA – Italian Trade Agency.

The 62^nd edition of Bologna Children’s Book Fair is scheduled to take place from 31 March to 3 April 2025. Estonia will be the Guest of Honour Country.

For firther info bolognachildrensbookfair.com