2023 marks a special year for the Frankfurt Book Fair, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this week from October 18 to 22. Anniversary celebrations.
The anniversary provides the perfect opportunity to honor the Book Fair's rich history while looking to the future:
Paulsplatz, where the first Frankfurt Book Fair was held in 1949, will be transformed today from 10.00 to 20.00 o'clock to a place of the stories. 75 chairs will be spread around the square and QR codes will take visitors to personal stories of people who have a special connection to the Frankfurt Book Fair. The storytellers range from well-known personalities to visitors and employees who are active behind the scenes at the Book Fair. These chairs will subsequently enhance the Agora on the exhibition grounds from October 17 to 22.
Under the motto "And the story goes on", the anniversary campaign, developed in collaboration with Frankfurt-based creative agency Vier für Texas, combines historical milestones with an optimistic view of chapters to come. In this context, the Frankfurt Book Fair and the City of Frankfurt have joined forces to bring the history of the Book Fair to life and make it a tangible experience for everyone beyond the fairgrounds. The anniversary activities in Frankfurt's city center are generously sponsored by the City of Frankfurt and implemented in close cooperation with the city's marketing department. So we are not only celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Book Fair, but also the joint success story between the Book Fair and the City of Frankfurt.
75 bookcases in the city already bear the anniversary design of the Frankfurt Book Fair. In recent weeks, these have been filled with surprises, including admission tickets and prizes.
The Messeturm will become the world's largest stack of books during Book Fair week with the help of AR tracking technology. With a simple link call and your smartphone's camera, you can customize this impressive work of art.
Stephanie Wüst, Head of Economic Affairs for the City of Frankfurt and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Messe Frankfurt: "The Frankfurt Book Fair is a flagship for our city and suits us well. It takes Frankfurt's great past and present publishers and authors into the future."
The campaign on Paulsplatz is sponsored by the City of Frankfurt's Department of Economics, Law and City Marketing, while the bookcases and advertising space are supported by the Department of Culture and Science.