The Book Expo Thailand 2022 is well under way. The 27th edition of the Publishers and Booksellers Association of Thailand's (Pubat) book fair returns to the newly renovated Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok and will run until Sunday at Exhibition Hall 5–7, LG Floor.
This year's expo is being held under the theme BOOKTOPIA. The event will be filled with motivating events and showcases to foster creativity, self-identity and community development.
"The concept of BOOKTOPIA highlights the importance of reading as it is the first step towards creating a city," said Thipsuda Sinchawarnwat, president of Pubat. "The Covid-19 pandemic forced publishers to adapt to online channels to sustain their operations in a challenging business environment.
"However, when it comes to a book fair, the online platform cannot offer the same experience as in-person. In the past, Pubat has hosted book fairs in various locations, but Queen Sirikit Center was the venue that garnered the most feedback from readers. We responded to the voices of sellers and buyers as the venue is in the city centre, supported by easy accessibility and convenient public transportation."
Backed by promotions from alliances, Book Expo Thailand expects the event to attract more than 1.5 million people and generate at least 300 million baht in revenue for the country's book and publishing industry.
The exhibition is divided into six zones: Children's Books & Educational Books; General Books; Rare Books; History & Politics; Literature & Fiction and Comics & Light Novels. The Landmark section at the centre of the exhibition is designed as a photo check-in area where visitors can have access to a 360-degree view. In the same area, readers will find Reading Road decorated with authors' names, book titles and noteworthy passages from literature. Visitors will also get the chance to meet and mingle with favourite writers in this area.
At Reader Road by Pubat and PaiyaBooks, readers can participate in inspiring activities such as Envelope Letters On The Wall which allows readers to jot down ideas on envelopes and stick them to a wall; Book Blind Date where readers can exchange books by showing only a tagline on a wrapped book; Book Playlist that allows readers to make a list of books based on a subject or a mood; and more activities to inspire other readers.
The Booktopia Exhibition – A Reader's Dream City is located in the front area between Exhibition Hall 6-7. The space is designed to foster creativity and the power of sharing. Readers are invited to share ideas about their dream city, and these messages will be forwarded to the responsible authorities to convert public policy into reality. There's also a Book Club, which will host a relaxed conversation with authors such as Prapt (Chairat Pipitpattanaprap), the author of Kahon Maha Ratuek and Cath (The ECLIPSE). Also, join drawing workshops with Munin and Sa-ard, and learn to design book covers with Kanda Studio and The Uni_form Studio.
To celebrate Halloween in October, take part in entertaining quizzes hosted by Fathom Bookspace, and Horror & Murders on the Pigabook Facebook fan page. Meanwhile, Book Factory raises a question on "Waste Paper Used In The Book-making Process: Destroy It Or Create Something New?" by simulating a printing house environment. Leftovers and paper scraps are shown as if they were inside the printing house and visitors can see what is left in each step before a book is created. This is to promote awareness of resource utilisation and participate in building the city of your dreams together.
Additionally, Thailand Post is offering special pricing for their EMS services, starting from 50 baht, for readers to mail books home. Also, there will be special and unique postal stamp collections for sale. Meanwhile, Pubat has also joined hands with partners to provide readers with special promotions such as discounts from publishers, up to 70%, a free Bossini pouch from Dtac with a purchase of 3,000 baht, and additional special discount deals totalling more than 2 million baht when ordering through Lazada, Shopee, ThaiBookFair.com and Linemanmart.
At a recent press conference, Pubat also welcomed Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, who was there for the opening ceremony of the 27th National Book Fair. Chadchart said that countries whose citizens have a habit of reading is one of the key driving forces for development and achieving goals quickly.
"I'm very excited as this is the first time that I have come to open a book fair. In the past, I was just a buyer. I hope that from now on, the event will get bigger and bigger. It will be an event on the calendar, not just Thailand, but on the world calendar. I believe that reading is life-changing," said Chadchart.
"Someone asked me how I can become the Bangkok governor? I'd answer that part of it comes from reading books. When I first volunteered to be the governor three years ago, the first thing I did was to order more than 30 books to read, both about the economy, city building, how to build a public toilet and tree planting. Because books are absolutely the source of knowledge. I promise that Bangkok will be a city of reading. And I believe that more people in Bangkok read more, whether books or online," Chadchart said.
The Book Expo Thailand 2022 runs until Oct 23, from 10am to 9pm at Exhibition Hall 5-7, LG Floor, Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. Get details at facebook.com/bookthai.
