Sharjah:The 16th Sharjah International Publishers Conference is fostering international connections among publishers and rights professionals through two innovative formats scheduled Matchmaking meetings and the newly introduced Global Exchange programme. These initiatives aim to enhance direct business connections and delve into discussions about market sectors and industry challenges.
According to Wam, the conference features one-on-one Matchmaking sessions that facilitate scheduled meetings focused on business development, rights trading, and potential partnerships. These business-to-business meetings enable publishers, literary agents, and other industry professionals to engage directly with potential partners from various markets, discuss catalogues and rights opportunities, and explore future cooperation areas. The matchmaking meetings are scheduled for the second and third days of the conference, complementing the broader exchange of knowledge and market insights.
The Global Exchange sessions have provided unique opportunities for attendees. Rebecca Hart, Senior Relationship Manager at the British Council in London, highlighted the platform's benefits for six UK publishers attending the conference for the first time, offering them insights into the regional publishing landscape. During a session for Arab and UK participants, discussions with a regional literary agent provided valuable understanding of local agenting and rights-selling practices.
Another session within the Global Exchange programme focused on comics and graphic novels, assembling participants from various countries including Colombia, Kazakhstan, Sharjah, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and the United States. San Mon Aung, President of the Myanmar Publishers Association, noted that the format encouraged addressing shared challenges while Paolo Herras, President and Co-founder of Komiket in the Philippines, emphasized the increased visibility for comics and graphic novels in the publishing programme.
The conference, organized by the Sharjah Book Authority, will continue with additional Global Exchange sessions, including meetings between Arab publishers and the British Council, African publishers with an Asian delegation, and Tamil-language publishers with Arab counterparts. The event, which concludes on November 3 at Expo Centre Sharjah, brings together 1,433 publishers from 126 countries, focusing on rights trading, market development, industry exchange, and international collaboration in anticipation of the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair.