SAUDI ARABIA – The organiser of the Riyadh International Book Fair expects attendance at the event will be given a boost by the postponement of a competitor in Cairo due to Egypt’s ongoing political activity.
The Riyadh International Book Fair is due to take place at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre (RICEC) next month. The show, which takes place from 1 to 11 March at RICEC, is being organised by the Ministry of Culture and Information and will feature lectures, symposiums and book-signing sessions.
The ministry, alongside other regional observers, feels the suspension of the Cairo Book Fair will bring more publishers and visitors to the Riyadh event. The Cairo fair, one of the oldest books fairs in the Arab world, was due to run on 28 January, but was suspended due to the recent political events in Egypt.
"The Ministry has chosen the best timing for the fair considering all the aspects, including the avoidance of clash with other international book fairs," said Mohammed Al Shaya, MD of RICEC, adding that the timing should ensure “high-quality publishers” present their titles.
"There is good co-ordination between RICEC and the Ministry of Information and Culture to ensure that the arrangements made for all the programmes are adequate. Based on our past experience, we expect to have over 35,000 visitors a day and this number could even be much larger," added Mr Al Shaya.
Messe Frankfurt recently announced it is considering entering the Saudi market with its security trade show brand Intersec.
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