The head of the General Egyptian Book Organization (GEBO) Haitham al-Hajj announced that the online platform of Cairo International Book Fair saw huge turnout from within a few hours of opening for registration.
The Cairo International Book Fair will start its 52nd session on June 30 until July 15, after it was postponed from its original date in January.
Hajj added that more than 17,000 free tickets were booked to enter the exhibition.
The book fair’s online platform includes all the details and services of interest to visitors to the fair, such as the possibility of searching for books and participating publishing houses.
In addition to the agenda of activities and events that will take place online, the exhibition map, and a simulated virtual tour inside the exhibition halls, the website also includes exclusive digital content and the steps to register for a visit ticket.
You can get a free ticket by visiting the exhibition’s website, select the “Book your ticket” option, then entering the required personal data (name – phone number – email – age – nationality – gender).
After completing the registration process, a copy of the ticket will be sent in a WhatsApp message to the registered number, and another copy will be sent to the e-mail containing the entry gate and the day specified for the visit.
Hajj announced that the book fair in its new session will receive only 100,000 visitors per day, and once the online reservation is completed no visitors will be allowed to enter.
Preparing for the 52nd session took about a year and six months, he said, and all possible scenarios were discussed in order to preserve the health of citizens.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Hajj said that the book fair’s audience is difficult to control on the ground, as it is not similar to being inside a theater or a cinema hall, so it was safer to prevent events to avoid gatherings and maintain social distancing.
The Vice President of the GEBO Shawkat al-Masry said that this year’s book fair will focus on seven themes, and will include intellectual meetings with writers and thinkers from inside and outside Egypt via the Zoom platform, in addition to the presence of cinematic and theatrical performances on the exhibition’s online platform.
Culture Minister Enas Abdel-Dayem said that this special session is held under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, so that the exhibition will be a clear picture of strengthening Egypt’s ability and soft power, and indicates its entry into a new era of digital modernization.
According to Abdel-Dayem, this session is a clear sign of Egypt’s eagerness to support reading and publishing as one of the most important components of a modern state that incorporates culture and science to build its future.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
