Bologna and IPA Conference to look at the effect of the pandemic

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BolognaBookPlus (BBPlus), the new strand organised by former London Book Fair director Jacks Thomas that will run alongside this year’s Bologna Children’s Book Fair (14-17 June), is to feature a one-day conference on the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic held in partnership with the International Publishers Association.

The conference title is: Forging Forward: The Pandemic – An Interruption or an Opportunity to Rethink? How the Global Publishing Industry Builds the Future Inclusively, Accessibly, Sustainably and Profitably.

The event will be co-chaired  by President of the International Publishers Association (IPA), Bodour Al Qasimi, and founder of Mensch Publishing (and former IPA president) Richard Charkin. The partnership with the IPA, celebrating the latter’s 125^th anniversary year, will feature IPA executive committee member speakers reflected in the programme, including IPA VP Karine Pansa.

Jacks Thomas, Guest Director, BBPlus, said: “This inaugural  programme offers a fantastic opportunity to share inspiration, experience and practical ideas from the global community as we reflect on an unprecedented year and plan for the road ahead. We’re thrilled to be partnering with the IPA,  showcasing the achievements of their  global membership, and to bring their insight, expertise and voices from all corners of the publishing world.’

Bodour Al Qasimi, President of the IPA, added: ‘In the 125 years since the IPA was founded, international publishing has gone from an exclusive, print-only business to a global industry undergoing major digital transformation. In partnership with BolognaBookPlus we’ll mark this milestone and debate the big questions about the future of publishing in a fast-changing world.”