Location for first New York Rights Fair revealed

The location for the New York Rights Fair launched by Bologna Fiere has been revealed and is set to take place at the Metropolitan Pavilion in midtown Manhattan.

BolognaFiere, the organiser of Bologna Children’s Book Fair, has partnered with US trade magazine Publishers Weekly and marketing company Combined Book Exhibit to launch the exhibition, which was first announced in April. It will be the first trade and licensing show in the US dedicated exclusively to the international rights, distribution and licensing of content, both adult and children’s.  

It is scheduled for 30th May to 1st June 2018, and offer a "unique" venue for US publishers and agents across adult and children’s markets to network with their global counterparts in the publishing capital of the world. The three-day fair will cover rights sales negotiation and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film, and digital channels.

There are concerns the fair will clash with BookExpo America, which usually takes place at the end of May, although the dates for the event 2018 have not yet been confirmed.

George Slowik Jr., c.e.o. of Publishers Weekly, said: “There is no more essential content marketplace than New York. The U.S. market can be extremely challenging for international publishers to navigate. A trade show dedicated to both adult and children’s rights and licensing, in an intimate setting, will enhance the current landscape of fairs focused on the global rights market.”

Slowik added: “We anticipate that the New York Rights Fair will draw a broad international crowd to the U.S. and believe it is the perfect synergistic fair with BookExpo for people in the rights business.”

Franco Boni, president of BolognaFiere, said: "BolognaFiere has had a long and fruitful experience in the organization of numerous international trade shows in many different countries. This new venture is the natural progression of our 54-year-long history from one of our main events – the Bologna Children's Book Fair – and the meaningful network that we have established throughout these five decades with the global and professional book community. We are very proud to launch this new show, bringing the flair of Bologna to New York and thereby creating a premium rights marketplace for adult and kids’ content today."

Bologna Mayor Virginio Merola, who will be in New York for BookExpo and to celebrate the US announcement of the New York Rights Fair, added: "Once again Bologna's important and international perspective as a city is confirmed by this landmark announcement by BolognaFiere.” “The Bologna Children’s Book Fair is an event that has set Bologna as a benchmark for the culture sector over the years, now celebrates with this new venture, our closer relationship with New York, and it represents a new opportunity to introduce to the world the great qualities of our beautiful city."