ADIBF 2015 ready to welcome visitors

The 25th Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, ADIBF 2015, has completed all logistic arrangements and is now ready to open its doors at 9 a.m. today, with building and construction works inside Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, ADNEC, fully completed as scheduled.

Organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, TCA Abu Dhabi, from 7th to13th May under the auspicious patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, ADIBF 2015 celebrates its Silver Jubilee with a special programme dedicated to the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, as the focus personality and a tribute to the literary production of the Republic of Iceland, this year's Guest of Honour.

The building and construction works have been conducted by more than 110 service providers, and at least 2,500 workers and technicians have contributed to the furnishing and outfitting stage. The result is an astonishing total exhibition area of 32,000sq.m. accommodating 1,181 publishing houses from 63 countries, in addition to the fair's special spaces and corners. Facilitating the preparations, TCA Abu Dhabi has cooperated with several entities including the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company, the Ministry of Interior, Abu Dhabi Media, Abu Dhabi Customs, Abu Dhabi Education Council and the Department of Transport.

"The work teams have multiplied their efforts to finish the construction phase on time. This is a remarkable feat given that ADIBF 2015 is the largest edition yet in terms of space, but ADNEC's team offered considerable assistance to finish the job precisely as planned, especially that implementing the design only started four days ago. The exhibition's layout and design provides convenient access for both exhibitors and visitors with ample space for movement along and in between the walkways. We promise visitors that ADIBF 2015 will offer a more comfortable experience with its wide lounges and halls," said Mohamed Al Shehhi, Director of Research and Publication at TCA Abu Dhabi.

The exhibitor stands are spacious and highly flexible and can fit a large number of books with the possibility of hanging exhibitor's logos to promote their brands. Over 10,000sq.m. of German engineered exhibition-standard ‘shell' scheme exhibition space was installed in just four days.

Guests from the four corners of the world have started to arrive in Abu Dhabi to participate in the region's fastest-growing book fair which hosts more than 600 international experts and scholars in a diverse programme focusing on a myriad cultural and intellectual topics. ADIBF 2015 will also feature professional sessions spanning the latest developments in the book industry, open meetings with illustrators and digital publishing experts, as well as entertainment and educational programmes for children.

The book shipments from international publishers have also arrived, and these include more than 500,000 titles in 30 languages.

ADIBF 2015 is open to visitors daily from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m., and on Friday from 4:00 p.m.