Coronavirus: number of publishers signing up for Hong Kong Book Fair in December slumps after earlier postponement
- Only 140 companies have registered for the December event, compared with more than 680 for last year’s edition
- Fair was postponed in July due to Covid-19; organiser will assess health risks a month before the opening and make a final decision on December 9
Although publishers have until Monday to register for the annual event, to be held from December 16 to 22, so far only 140 companies have done so. That is an 80 per cent drop in participating publishers compared with last year’s edition, which attracted more than 680 exhibitors and 980,000 visitors.
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), which organises the fair – one of the world’s largest – said it would assess the health risks a month before the opening, followed by a final decision on December 9.
Benjamin Chau Kai-leung, the council’s deputy executive director, told an online press conference that public health and safety would be the top priority.
“We chose to hold the fair in December because it would give exhibitors ample time to prepare for the event and for us to observe the pandemic situation,” said Chau, who also hoped consumers would be in a better mood to spend money closer to the festive Christmas season.
Originally scheduled for July, the fair was abruptly called off two days before the opening at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, as the city experienced a surge in locally transmitted Covid-19 cases.
Hong Kong Book Fair to tentatively go ahead in December
The new date was chosen after more than half of some 400 exhibitors who responded to a poll said they wanted the fair to be held before the end of the year rather than waiting until next July, according to the HKTDC.
Elvin Lee Ka-kui, chairman of the Hong Kong Publishing Federation, which represents more than 70 industry players, said he fully supported the event being held in December, as many local firms needed the platform to improve sales in a challenging year.
Exhibitor Jimmy Pang Chi-ming, head of publisher Subculture, estimated sales at the fair would drop 40 to 50 per cent compared with last year as people might still be spooked by the coronavirus pandemic and avoid large crowds.
He also expected foot traffic to be halved as the new date did not fall in a school holiday.
“Without the book fair, we will lose somewhere between 30 to 40 per cent of annual revenue, which is a huge drop,” Pang said. “That is why we hope the event can take place with as minimal risk to public health as possible.”
Leslie Ng Chi-ching, director of BBluesky, a publisher of children’s picture books and parenting guides, hoped the fair would not be postponed again as small companies desperately needed the event to survive the year.
“The book fair is crucial for us this year since we have nine new titles to promote, which is a lot for a small publishing house,” Ng said. “We really need this opportunity to make sales.”
He said sales had fallen as much as 90 per cent this year without the fair in July, while the firm was also trying to sell books online.
Book fair is off, so publishers woo crowds with special online deals
High rents and a slump in sales amid the pandemic forced bricks-and-mortar bookstores Swindon Book Company and Popular to close. Retail sales of books and newspapers plunged 41 per cent in July year on year, latest official data showed.
The government will fully subsidise participation fees, capped at HK$100,000 per local exhibitor at the fair, as part of its pandemic relief fund. The HKTDC also aggregated online retail platforms of more than 210 exhibitors, promoting about 110,00 books including 2,600 new titles.
