#fbm23: MVB at Frankfurter Buchmesse

• 18:00 – 19:00 | Note | #dbp 23 – German Book Prize 2023: Award

• 10:00 – 10:45 | MVB-Austausch: Orientation in the book trade
• 11:00 – 11:45 | MVB-Austausch: Sales engine #BookTok?!
• 12:00 – 12:45 | MVB-Austausch: Efficient book shopping
• 14:00 – 14:45 | MVB-Austausch: Talent Acquisitation in the Media Industry
• 15:00 – 15:45 | MVB-Austausch: Bookshop with unique selling proposition
• 15:00 – 15:50 | Paving the Way: The Benefits of Standardized Metadata and its Impact on Book Sales
• 16:00 – 16:45 | MVB-Austausch: Visibility for creators
• 17:00 – 18:00 | Note | Calendar Prize of the German Book Trade 2023: Award
• 18:00 – 20:00 | Note | Serafina 2023: Award

• 10:00 – 10:45 | MVB-Austausch: Title presentation for the book trade
• 11:00 – 11:45 | MVB-Austausch: Buchvermarktung für Klein- und Selbstverlage
• 11:00 – 12:00 | #cosh23 – CONTENTshift Accelerator 2023: Award
• 12:00 – 12:45 | MVB-Austausch: New customers for the bookshop
• 14:00 – 15:00 | Note | Favourite Book of the Independents 2023: Award
• 14:00 – 14:45 | MVB-Austausch: A career for book people
• 15:00 – 15:45 | MVB-Austausch: Games in the book trade
• 15:30 – 17:00 | VLB: Merchandise Management Suppliers Meeting 2023
• 16:00 – 16:45 | MVB-Austausch: Take off as a start-up
• 16:30 – 18:30 | Happy Hour: Caipirinha meets Oktoberfest
• 17:00 – 18:00 | Happy Hour: CONTENTshift
• 19:00 – 20:30 | #yeaward23 – Börsenblatt Young Excellence Award 2023: Award

• 10:00 – 10:45 | MVB-Austausch: Optimise metadata for the book trade
• 11:00 – 11:45 | MVB-Austausch: Recognising and exploiting sales potential
• 12:00 – 12:45 | MVB-Austausch: Vouchers in the book trade
• 14:00 – 14:30 | #dbp23 – German Book Prize 2023: Tonio Schachinger in conversation with the Börsenblatt
• 14:00 – 14:45 | MVB-Austausch: Supply for the blog
• 15:00 – 15:45 | MVB-Austausch: Sales engine #BookTok?!
• 16:00 – 16:45 | MVB-Austausch: Show profile with book recommendations

• 12:00 – 12:45 | MVB-Austausch: A career for book people

You will find all the information from our colleagues at the Frankfurter Buchmesse on the trade and public programme as well as on the offers before and during the Fair – Frankfurt Rights Meeting, Frankfurt Audio, the masterclasses and the networking format The Hof at: www.buchmesse.de

Please also note the events and topics of our colleagues from the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels and Mediacampus Frankfurt.

And don't forget: The EU projects we are involved in are also worth a visit at the fair. Come by and find out what opportunities cross-border cooperation in the creative and cultural sector offers us all and what role you can play in it:

• Aldus Up (Hall 4.1, G 19)
• Möbius (Hall 4.1, H 25 und H 33)
• S+T+ARTS (Hall 4.1, H 75)

Our former colleague and long-time booth manager Renate can draw on a wealth of experience: "For many years, the stand area had been growing larger with each move – especially with moving our location within Hall 4, when MVB and Börsenverein as well as the regional associations and the booksllers committee moved together. From that point on, the booths had a common design."

The issue of catering has also always been of great importance: "Before 2007, we had our own kitchen at the stand, where everyone made their own sandwiches. The kitchen was stocked by the janitor couple and there was mainly canned sausage and gray bread. In addition, it was very critically eyed, who helped himself there, that could bring a newcomer already times in proof trouble. The booksellers committee still had its own stand at that time – with a booksellers' cafe, where there were lard sandwiches, coffee and Frankfurter sausages and the like."

"From around 2007, we had large illuminated walls at our booth in 4.0 for greater visibility. One wall was set up in the area of the Börsenblatt café and the live editorial office at the time and featured advertising for the Börsenblatt. The motif had been approved by everyone in advance – editorial, ad sales, marketing and sales, corporate communications, the booth builder and me, the booth organizer, had checked it out ... and then the day before the opening, the big illuminated wall was hanging there and a fair temp came by, took a quick look and asked: "Is that really supposed to say expolsive?" Of course it wasn't supposed to – we had all missed it and it was in such an exposed spot on the illuminated wall that it had to be corrected. So the illuminated wall was taken down again and the booth builder promised to deliver a new one by the next morning – start of the fair, 09:00! – to have a new one delivered and hung up. When I arrived at the stand at 08:00 the next morning, I was very relieved to see that the naked neon tubes were covered by a new – faultless – illuminated wall."

Our marketing colleague Katrin knows a thing or two about the fact that organizing a trade fair stand is not always easy: "Anyone can do classic! Beach bar, lifeguard tower or circus tent – before it goes into the detailed planning with our booth builder, all ideas are put on the table, no matter how curious they may be. However, this frequently leads to wild shaking of heads and many discussions within the team. Can you even call it luck when the booth builder comes around the corner with safety concerns and regulations and steers the ideas in other directions? So in 2019, we unfortunately had to make do with red jelly shots that we handed out to our guests instead of ceremoniously opening the beach bar."

"At the Livro booth, I once had a nice encounter with a very nimble author. She asked for information about Livro, how to register books, how much it costs, and what the benefits are. Then she showed me her book. She asked if this book would fit into the Livro exhibition, because it was very special. When I opened the book, I was astonished for a moment: There were an infinite number of graphically very artistic and sophisticated illustrations of the very finest patterns and manufacturing instructions for lingerie," says our colleague Susanne, who always likes to be surprised by new books at the stand of our joint exhibition.

"At the MVB stand, our days at the fair traditionally start with a little coordination task: Whoever manages to open the locker in the first attempt in the morning according to the instructions is fit and ready for a day at the fair with lots of encounters with great book people from all over the world," says our digital expert Monica about the annual Beagle Boy vibes.

Renate can tell you only too well that as a booth manager you are also confronted with curious situations: "We once had a permanent guest at the stand who generously supplied himself with our drinks and snacks – chocolate, jelly bears, cookies, etc. – and received guests at the booth. It turned out that he was neither a member of the Börsenverein nor had any appointments with the association or us and obviously – and now for the second or third day – only wanted to save his own booth fees and the costs in one of the fair cafés. After a first, unsuccessful attempt to compliment him from the stand, I took a somewhat stronger colleague with me on the second occasion. This one must have been sufficiently forceful so that the gentleman quickly left our booth."

"An unattended suitcase that has been on the booth for hours: As the person responsible for the stand, you have only two options here – either unpack the suitcase yourself, or call the police, as the regulations stipulate. For safety's sake, I opted for option number two, since it was a fair with major political themes. A short time later, the police arrived and opened the suitcase under security precautions. The tension was great! But it turned out that it was the suitcase of a colleague who had forgotten it and not for the first time. So always take good care of your own things," Renate sums up.

Anna remembers her first Frankfurter Buchmesse all too well: "I was at my first book fair in 2021 – that was the Corona fair. In August, I had started my training at MVB as a digital & print media expert. I was working for the Livro joint exhibition and so the fair was a topic from day one, as I would be helping to look after the booth there. The closer October came, the more excited I got. But the anticipation grew with each passing day. As soon as the week of the fair started, I was everywhere. It was exhausting, but I had a lot of fun doing it and was very excited by all the new impressions – and the actual trade show hadn't even started yet! But then it was time.

What should I wear? How strenuous will standing all day at a trade show be? Are my shoes comfortable enough for that? How do you present a stand and a company properly? Questions upon questions. As soon as I was at the booth with all the familiar books and the set-up I had helped with myself, I calmed down. The first conversations with customers had added to my nervousness, but after that I felt more and more confident and secure. I really enjoyed the days at the fair, including seeing all the other booths, the atmosphere in the halls, and getting to know many book people.

The biggest challenge for me was counting people at the Livro booth. Due to the Corona measures at the time, only a certain number of visitors per square meter were allowed on the booth area. It became especially difficult when there were only two of you and then someone had a question. It required a lot of multitasking, communication and attention, so I was especially exhausted after those shifts. But it was nice that the Livro booth had such a great turnout."

"At the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2008, I was still working for my former employer. Among other things, I had organized an event with a mathematics author, at the end of which mathematical finger food was served :-D 

I had also invited my old friend Ute from Munich, whom I had met in 2001 through a mutual friend in Heidelberg. Both of them were training to be booksellers there at the time. A few months later, I moved to Brighton, England, for Erasmus studies. Meanwhile, Ute moved to Munich to study book science. Out of sight, but not quite out of mind ... Because through our mutual friend we always knew what the other was doing, but our meeting at #FBM08 was to be the first reunion after six years.

Ute's first comment – "You've gone quite gray!" – was not quite an optimal start ;-) But we had way too much to talk about and way too little time in the hustle and bustle of the fair. So the next meeting was scheduled directly after the book fair in Heidelberg. In the meantime, we have been married for nine years, have two little Fertigs at our side who are also already real FBM fans, and live within walking distance of the trade fair grounds, where the second glimpse of a very special book person was more than worth it," our press spokesman Markus remembers fondly.

Katrin can also report on special and, above all, funny moments: "Traditions have to be cultivated, even if they are still very young. So Markus and I started our traditional photo tour, which we have been celebrating together since 2021. The aim of our tour is to take every possible photo motif and take as many funny pictures as possible, which we share live on the day with our social media fans. It's a really fun event that's firmly scheduled in our diary again this year."

According to our trainee Anna, these things should never be missing from the book fair luggage:

• Deodorant, because you do something good for yourself and others.
• Handkerchiefs, because you never know when you'll need them!
• Disinfectant for the hands, also after Corona
• Snacks, sweet and salty, to quickly fortify yourself in between a low – or to share!
• Give-aways for others, because you never see so many book people as here and should take advantage of this opportunity.
• Even if you already have an extra bag in your backpack, I always take an extra-extra bag. You never know what you'll find at the fair after all and even if you don't need it yourself, someone else sure will.