Abu Dhabi International Book Fair to host International and Arab publishing experts

The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) has unveiled a dynamic new events schedule as part of its annual Professional Programme to strengthen the event's standing as the publishing industry's leading professional platform in the MENA region. The comprehensive agenda of panel discussions, presentations, talks and networking opportunities is bigger and better than last year and will run throughout the book fair at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). The varied and interesting line-up of over 30 sessions will bring together over 50 professional speakers, market leaders and trend setters to share their views on topical publishing topics. A number of Professional Programme sessions will focus on the GCC countries as the Market Focus of this year's fair. Topics to be discussed include the use of social media in publishing, access to GCC educational markets as part of The Education Chapter series and the market for art books in the GCC countries. This year's exhibition has grown by 15 percent to accommodate hundreds of exhibitors from over 50 countries showcasing over 500,000 titles offering a mix of cultural, intellectual and commercial publications in over 30 different languages. One of programme's key focus points will be the role that technology continues to play in the developing publishing world. The dedicated eZone area - that has doubled in size - will feature seminars on cutting edge issues at the crossroads of publishing and technology and will host companies from US, Germany, Spain, Greece, the UAE, Jordan and India. Some of the most eagerly anticipated round table discussions this year will concentrate on topics such as Technology to Improve Education, Development of eBooks Markets Globally, Social Networking and Publishing, Purchasing Strategies of Academic Libraries for Digital Content and Start-Ups and Publishers: How to Co-operate? "Our focus will also be on content produced for children and young adults exploring the global trends in children's book publishing, children's reading habits in the future and the use of technology in education and the classrooms," explained Al Qubaisi New to this year's panel discussion line-up is Vanessa Middleton, Head Librarian at the Petroleum Institute Abu Dhabi, who will share her views on Libraries Making a Difference by Fostering Literacy within our Community'. The panel of librarians will discuss the impact of libraries in international and local communities and creative strategies to encourage literacy and foster writing and reading. Running in parallel with the ADIBF will be the 19th Annual Conference '&' Exhibition of the Special Libraries Association - Arabian Gulf Chapter (SLA-AGC), being held in Abu Dhabi between 23 - 25 April. More than 350 librarians from the GCC will network during ADIBF to choose from its extensive book catalogue. The fair's full catalogue is now available to view online, and registered librarians will have access to a host of special facilities such as free parking, storage for purchased books, concierge service and invitations to evening networking events. The Illustrators Corner will continue to be one of the fair's most popular and dynamic venues this year, and a hub for visual content while the Illustrators' Corner will have a truly international flavour hosting guests from Spain, Switzerland, UAE, Syria and Malaysia. To encourage young illustrators, the ADIBF will feature a new Illustrators' Corner element, in the form of a competition. On a daily basis, illustrators will present their work to a judging panel which will choose the illustration that best represents the day's events. This will then be published in the next day's Show Daily providing budding illustrators with a platform to showcase their work.