Five Unmissable Event Highlights at LBF 2023
/by Mike Groth
Running from April 18–20, 2023, the London Book Fair is one of the most important events in the international publishing calendar. This year, organizers are confident that the event will be “back in full force” with global exhibitor and attendee numbers likely to approach pre-pandemic levels and many US attendees returning to the halls of Kensington Olympia following a four-year hiatus.
Despite a paring back of its academic publishing seminar output, LBF still has plenty to offer visitors from all corners of the industry—a bustling program of on-stage panel discussions, interviews and presentations and a neatly programmed day-long scholarly industry conference. As we gear up for the fair, we’ve prepared a short guide to our top event highlights in this year’s seminar program and beyond.
1. A dedicated academic publishing conference
The Research and Scholarly Publishing Forum
Thursday, April 20, 9:25–16:05 @ Olympia Theatre
This ticketed event on the last day of the fair always attracts a crowd, not to mention some heavy hitting speakers from across the scholarly publishing ecosystem. This year’s program kicks off with a keynote address from Dr Damian Pattinson of eLife Sciences, followed by a talk from Elsevier’s Michiel Kolman exploring diversity and inclusivity in STM publishing. Panel debate highlights include an ‘In Conversation With’ session on block chain technologies and Decentralized Science and an SDG Publishing Compact Fellows session, run in partnership with ALPSP, with speakers from Wiley and Emerald Publishing.
2. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the talk of the town
Halfway to 2030: What is needed to get the SDGs on track?
Tuesday April 18, 13:30–14:00 @ Sustainability Lounge
One of several SDG-focused events taking place in the Sustainability Lounge, this event will take stock of the strides the publishing industry has taken to date in response to the United Nation SDGs, and crucially explore what still needs to be done to meet key targets. Speakers include Sherri Aldis of the United Nations Regional Information Center for Western Europe, Publishing Perspective’s Porter Anderson, the Publishers Association’s Louis Coiffait-Gunn, and Elsevier’s Rachel Martin.
3. Action on accessibility
Accessibility: Charting the waters
Tuesday, April 18, 13:15–14:15 @ Focus Theatre
This annual event organized by the Publishing Accessibility Action Group (PAAG) explores the practical steps publishers should be taking to make their content more accessible. This particular seminar will delve into its recently published ‘PAAG charter,’ a ten-point framework designed to help organizations commit to accessibility, either as a publisher or as an ally. Speakers include Stacy Scott from Taylor & Francis, Richard Orme from DAISY Consortium, Simon Mellins from Penguin Random House UK, Martin Klopstock from Kogan Page, and Laura Brady from eBound Canada.
4. A spotlight on inclusivity
Celebrating inclusivity and representation in the book and publishing world
Wednesday, April 19, 14:00–14:45 @ Main Stage
Offering a diverse range of perspectives on this important topic from seasoned industry professionals from all kinds of backgrounds, this session will look at how we inspire and connect with young readers to embrace inclusivity and diversity through the voices and stories we read. Panelists feature Sharmaine Lovegrove of Dialogue Books, Meera Ghanshamdas of Round Table Books, Kate Wilson of Nosy Crow, Irum Fazal from Asian Women Writers, Rik Ubhi of Heligo Books.
5. All about the bots
Various @ Tech Theatre
Unsurprisingly, AI is a hot topic at LBF’s tech stage this year, and two sessions on this subject caught our eye in particular. In How not to be replaced by a bot (Wednesday, April 19, 14:45–15:15) Dr. Costas Andriopoulos, a professor at Bayes Business School, University of London, provides a masterclass on “how to best harness AI, purposeful curiosity and human deviance for maximum effect.” Meanwhile, Style Factory founder Chris Singleton will explore the implications of ChatGPT—both good and bad—for those involved in the business of publishing in ChatGPT: What it is and what it means for content creators (Thursday, April 20, 11:00–11:30).
And finally, KGL is delighted to once again be exhibiting at the London Book Fair, so why not swing by our stand for a chat? We will be on Stand 3A12 in Kensington Olympia’s National Gallery alongside our sister company Sheridan.
Mike Groth is Director of Marketing for KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. He can be reached at info@kwglobal.com.