London Book Fair
The London Book Fair is the world's leading networking and forum event for the book industry. Midas has been retained for a number of years on a wide ranging brief, which includes promoting this prestigious event to the global book trade, consumer and business press whilst assisting in programming events and delivering household names to put the 3 day event on the news agenda.
This year, we were delighted to work with The London Book Fair team and the British Council to promote an event with the Rt. Hon, David Miliband, Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who led a conversation with Nobel Prize winning economist and thinker, Amartya Sen. Although due to security reasons we had only minimal time to promote the event, it was packed out and reported widely by the media.
On the eve of the anniversary of his first year in office, the Fair also played host to The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who spoke about the success of publishing in the UK and the importance of reading. The Mayor's inimitable mode of expression and witty quips prompted wide reporting, particularly in the diary columns of the national press, such as The Times and The Independent.
Leading writers taking part in the celebrated "Author of the Day" programme included James Patterson (the world's biggest selling author), Booker Prize winner Vikram Seth and renowned chef, entrepreneur and novelist Prue Leith. Midas helped devise a programme of events for the authors during the Fair, which included James Patterson being interviewed by BBC Radio and TV arts presenter Mark Lawson.
Everyone is talking about e-books and the effect digital technology will have on the future of publishing. Thanks to our excellent industry contacts, we secured CEOs from the UK's four biggest book publishers to take part in a digital keynote seminar which set the tone for digital discussions throughout the Fair.
India, as Market Focus country 2009, was also high on the news agenda as market which has maintained steady growth in the face of world economic downturn. Midas secured a major article on the finance pages of The Guardian on the opportunities India can offer publishers in today's competitive market. We raised the profile of the Fair in India by obtaining interviews and features on key Indian newspapers such as The Hindu, Times of India and The Telegraph of India. The Market Focus programme proved a huge success, with Indian exhibitors coming away from the Fair with contracts for new deals signed, and new business partnerships forged.
The 2010 London Book Fair will take place from 19th - 21st April at London's Earls Court.