London Book Fair director Ventris leaves after less than two years

London Book Fair (LBF) director Andy Ventris is stepping down this summer after less than two years in the role.

Ventris, who was appointed director in November 2020, is leaving fair organisers RX, formerly known as Reed Exhibitions, in the summer to “take on a new challenge”. His next role has not been revealed and a successor will be announced in due course.

He said: “It has been a pleasure to be LBF director over the past two years, working with such a great team and bringing the industry back together in April. It was an incredibly proud achievement to see the halls of Olympia buzzing with people from across the publishing world, gathering again to do business, network and connect face to face, after such a long time apart. 

“We’ve been delighted with the positive feedback from exhibitors and visitors alike, and early indications are that 2023 looks set to be even more of a success. LBF has been running for more than 50 years, and I feel honoured to have been a part of its story in recent times. I’ve no doubt that the new director will continue to grow the event as it remains a key moment in the publishing industry calendar.”

Ventris, who has a decade of experience organising global events, was appointed director from within RX, taking over from Jacks Thomas at a challenging time for the event during the Covid-19 pandemic. After the 2020 edition’s last-minute postponement, organisers had planned a physical event in June 2021, though many in the trade questioned the need for it and firms like HarperCollins said they would not attend. That April, organisers announced it would instead be an online-only fair.

The return to London’s Olympia this April under Ventris’ leadership, however, was widely welcomed by publishers and agents, with 15,000 people attending, although organisers were forced to defend their coronavirus safety measures after a number of cases were reported afterwards. 

David Roche, chair of the LBF advisory board, said: “The LBF advisory board was unanimous in its positive reaction to the return of LBF this spring. It was a real achievement given the multiple obstacles over the past two years. Particularly pleasing was the feeling that LBF was a point of reconnection for so many publishing professionals. It has been great working with Andy over recent years, and I wish him all the best in his next role. The London Book Fair’s position as a critical annual event in the business of publishing was reinforced in April and we look forward to welcoming a new director into the role who can build on this year and into the future.”

Kerry Prince, chief growth officer of RX UK, added: “Andy had an immediately positive impact when he took on the role of LBF director nearly two years ago. We are sad to see Andy leave and wish him every success in the next chapter of his career. Everyone at RX was delighted to see the return of one of our blue-ribbon global events at Olympia in April, with 15,000 members of the international publishing community in attendance. The wonderful response to this year’s show is not only testament to Andy and his team but also to the heritage and strength of the LBF brand. Our focus is now to continue to build on this year’s success for 2023 and beyond.”

The next fair is scheduled for 18th to 20th April next year.