Welcome to Bologna Global Rights Exchange!

In honour of the upcoming Bologna Book Fair - running 31st of March until the 3rd of April - we will begin to discuss some of the events held at the fair.

This year Bologna Book Plus will present a fascinating AI section curated by Shimmer AI, a start-up dedicated to AI driven consumer outreach. The programme will give publishers the opportunity to focus and discuss the consequences of AI in the industry, and the different ways one can embrace it. 

The programme will be held on the 1st of April: Nadim Sadek, CEO of Shimmer AI, will give the first session on ‘Living and Thriving in the World of AI’ at 9:35 am. Since Sadek is the one to start off the day, his aim will be to spark curiosity towards the potential benefits of working with AI in today’s age. Moving on, ‘The Power in Your Hands: Defining the Future of Publishing with AI’ will be presented by Chief Digital Officer at HarperCollins, Chantal Restivo-Alessi. This session will focus specifically on the relationship between AI and publishing, how we can and must change those dynamics for a better and more engaging industry. 

These two talks will be a solid introduction for what’s next! Somewhat interactive and busier event on ‘The Brand Advantage: Using AI to Find Your Edge in a Content-Rich World’, featuring Nadim Sadek, author Tom Benjamin, founder and CEO of Treefort.fm Kelly Garner and co-founder and CEO of Barefoot Books Nancy Traversy. Following this, Searsha Sadek from Shimmer AI, Gaurav Sabharwal from Prakash Books and Sarah Arbuthnot from Supadu will convene for an immersive event session on ‘AI Discovery: When Every Book Finds Its Readers’. 

Final event at 11:35 am will welcome three guest speakers: Edward Nawotka from Publishers Weekly, Giacomo D’Angelo from StreetLib and Giulia Marangoni from AIE, to talk about ‘Recognition and Reward: Making Money from LLMs’.

The AI Summit will be a comprehensive analysis and discussion regarding our current experience with AI, and the future of the industry as a consequence of these ever-changing developments. The broad range of speakers makes it even more interesting, as we will able to engage with a variety of perspectives. 

If you would like to access a full plan of the day, please find Bologna Book Plus on instagram (@bolognabookplus) and on our official website (https://www.bolognachildrensbookfair.com/en/events/event-programme-2025/14430.html).

 

With that said, ci vediamo a Bologna!