Wenn wirs richtig interpretieren werten auch die Amerikaner die von Volker Neumann erwünschte und vom Messe-AR nicht erfolgte Vertragsverlängerung als Schlag ins Gesicht der Aussteller: Wie die Causa Neumann auch im Ausland (nicht) verstanden wird, spiegelt dieser Kommentar von Nora Rawlinson aus dem aktuellen PUBLISHERS WEEKLY vom 20.9.2004. Um nicht versehentlich neues Öl ins Feuer zu giessen, hier im O-Ton:
Frankfurt to Exhibitors: Drop Dead!
From the moment Volker Neumann was appointed head of the Frankfurt Book Fair, American publishers found him a breath of fresh air. He immediately tackled the most irritating issue-the fair’s high costs. He stood up to the hotels, managed to reduce increases in stand prices and shortened the fair by a day. Now comes the disappointing news that Neumann’s contract will not be renewed. The board claims it wants a „long-term perspective.“ Our guess is that it wants the old perspective, with hoteliers and fairground owners free to continue price-gouging.
With the growing popularity of the London Book Fair and the efforts of BEA to attract more rights activity, Frankfurt needs to recognize that it is no longer the only game in town. Neumann tried to wake Frankfurt up to the need for a little customer service. Unfortunately, it seems the messenger is being blamed for the message.
