Dubai to host international publishing summit
DUBAI, January 9, 2017
The Emirates Literature Foundation, in partnership with the General Secretariat of The Executive Council of Dubai, will host the inaugural Dubai International Publishing Conference from March 5 to 6.
The event celebrates the ideals of the National Reading Policy, launched in the UAE in 2016, and is another step towards promoting the creative content of Arab writers and enhancing the publishing industry to promote reading culture, a statement said.
The programme will feature renowned speakers from the UAE, the region and across the world who will give their inspiring vision of publishing today and into the future and will discuss the status quo of the publishing industry, the possible opportunities of development and building partnerships with international publishing houses.
Through lively debate and sessions, delegates will have the opportunity to hear from world-class experts from all sectors of the industry.
The conference will run alongside the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, giving delegates the chance to experience the UAE’s premier literature festival's activities which comes in line with the objectives and themes of the conference.
Aisha Abdullah Miran, assistant secretary general for Strategy Management and Governance Sector at the Dubai Executive Council, said: “The Dubai International Publishing Conference comes as an initiative to enhance the supporting environment of the culture of reading through promoting the publishing sector as the main channel to take the book to the audience of readers.
“We look forward to the success of this conference in coming out with recommendations that will be employed in identifying applicable strategic programmes and initiatives that may be implemented in Dubai to support and promote the culture of reading among the different segments of the community in the various languages and cultures.”
Isobel Abulhoul, OBE, CEO and trustee of the Emirates Literature Foundation and director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, said: “Publishers need to learn about the real situation of the region and its requirements, know about reading inclinations of their citizens and the causes that may preclude their desire for reading; due to this, encouraging the culture of reading and perpetuating love for books in citizens is associated with the publishers’ ability to provide exciting, useful and handy books that are accessible to all segments of community.
“We want to enhance communication between the Arab and Western publishers. The conference will encourage an exchange of ideas, enabling cross-publishing of popular works, especially Arabic into English, giving the talent in the region a wider audience outside the Arab world.”
In addition to the main speaker and panel sessions there are masterclasses on key skills, and a special ‘matchmaking’ translation event to highlight a selection of exceptional titles in Arabic and English. The Conference will also give the global publishing industry new insight into the exciting developments taking place in the Arabic publishing world, and help place it on the industry world map.
All sessions will take place at the InterContinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City. – TradeArabia News Service