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Sharjah International Book Fair Participates in Middle East Publishers Webinar Panel discussion focused on increasing opportunities in fast growing publishing sector |
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Under the directives of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah to build cultural bridges across the world, the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) recently participated in an international webinar held by the US Commercial Service of the US Department of Commerce. Hosted on the e-portal Export.gov, the webinar titled ‘How to Best Approach the Middle Eastern Publishing Markets’ addressed the increasing opportunities for publishers in the rapidly growing Middle East book market. Featuring a panel discussion by experts from the UAE as well as the US Embassies in Egypt and Qatar, the webinar looked at methods to best approach the Middle Eastern book markets and explored the current and emerging trends in the region’s burgeoning publishing industry. In addition the discussion also introduced participants to the numerous upcoming publishing related events available within the Middle East to promote their titles. Representing the UAE were Mr. Ahmed Al Amri, Director of the Sharjah International Book Fair and Mr Tamer Said, Business Development Manager for Kalimat Publishing house. Al Amri made use of the opportunity to give an overview of the of SIBF’s phenomenal growth since it first opened its doors 31 years ago as a relatively small affair to the internationally acclaimed event, attracting more than 800 publishers showcasing books from nearly 42 nations and well over 500,000 visitors, it has become today.
Speaking about SIBF’s involvement in the webinar, Al Amri commented, “Publishing in the Middle East and the UAE specifically, is not only growing rapidly, but is increasingly becoming a major focus on governmental level. Trailblazers such as HH Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi – who have a true understanding of the value of the written word in the development of society – are leading the way for the leadership of the region to embrace initiatives and legislation that foster the publishing sector. With support for publishers being provided from the highest levels, the market here increasingly attracting from across the globe, as SIBF’s growth attests to.” He went on to say that the Middle East has a growing number of young, inquisitive and intellectually developed readers who are hungry for books from all over the world and that SIBF was very pleased to have been able to take part in this discussion which allowed them to introduce the great potential of the UAE and Middle East publishing markets to a new audience. The US Commercial Service of the US Department of Commerce, a federal government agency, is dedicated to assisting US companies connect with international companies. Their mandate is to help international and US organisation conduct business successfully as well as understand each other better to become partners in friendship and trade. The e-portal Export.gov brings together resources from across the US Government to assist American businesses in planning their international sales strategies and succeed in today’s global marketplace.
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