Accessibility's Next Frontier

When it comes to accessibility, technology is moving super fast and legislation not so much. How will AI impact accessible publishing? Will there be a significant improvement in image descriptions, screenreader voices, assistive technologies because of AI? Has the European Accessibility Act had a positive impact on the production of accessible titles globally? What’s the next step in improving accessibility for print-disabled readers? These questions and more will be the focus of this important panel.

Moderator: Karine Pansa, CEO Grupo Girassol Brasil (Brazil)
Speakers:

• Dr Agata Mrva-Montoya, Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney (Australia)
• Laura Brady, Digital Publishing Consultant, eBOUND Canada (Canada)
• Dr Nor Afifah Shabani, Executive Director, Edote Sdn Bhd (Malaysia)

AI: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

One of the Congress's most anticipated sessions will showcase Nadim Sadek (bestselling author on creativity and AI) and Peter Schoppert (leading voice on AI and copyright) in an unmissable conversation about publishing's AI crossroads. Expect a substantive, generous dialogue between two seasoned publishing minds who've both built tech companies and who understand innovation from the inside. For international publishers wrestling with the industry's most urgent question, this conversation offers something rare: honest, informed perspectives from both sides of the debate, delivered with intellectual depth and real-world credibility.

Speakers:

• Nadim Sadek, Author, Founder & CEO, Shimmr AI (Ireland)
• Peter Schoppert, Director, NUS Press; Vice President, Singapore Book Publishers Association (Singapore)

Reading Habits

In markets across the world, reading for pleasure is in decline. Studies from numerous countries have shown that reading rates are dropping, while the number of non-readers is increasing. How can we arrest this decline? And what can we learn from countries that are taking action?

Moderator: Luis González Martín, Managing Director, Fundacion GSR (Spain)
Speakers:

• Anna Burkey, CEO, Australia Reads
• Loh Chin Ee, Associate Professor & Associate Dean, NIE, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)

How to Reserve your Rights (for AI Training and Many Other Uses) – Navigating Jurisdictions, Technologies and Loopholes

Before publishers can exercise their rights, and their authors' rights, they must express them. Europe's copyright law suggests that these expressions must be machine-readable to work for text and data mining uses. What is the latest thinking on reserving your rights for AI training? What is working? Not working? This panel bridges practical advice and hard thinking about how our works should circulate in the digital world.

Moderator: Catriona Stevenson, General Counsel and Deputy CEO, Publishers Association (UK)
Speakers:

• Laurent Le Meur, CEO of the European Digital Reading Lab (EDRLab) (France)
• Claudia Russo, Director, Public Affairs EU & Deputy Global Director, Public Affairs – STM (Belgium)

Freedom to Publish: Navigating Regional Red Lines

This session will bring speakers from different countries in Asia to discuss the formal and informal restrictions on the freedom to publish and how they handle that in their publishing markets.

Moderator: Jaeho Kang, Professor, Seoul National University; Korean Publishers Association (Korea)
Speakers:

• Zunar, Independent Political Cartoonist (Malaysia)
• Sherif Bakr, General Manager, Al Arabi Publishing and Distributing (Egypt)
• Yoshiaki Yoshino, Chief Officer, Japan Book Publishers Association (Japan)

Beyond the Booth: How Book Fairs Become Year-Round Growth Engines

Instead of a few days of sales, book fairs can be the launchpad for a year-round growth flywheel. In 15 minutes, this session breaks down how publishers and fair organisers can turn event energy into sustained discovery, reader retention, community-building, and measurable commercial outcomes. Practical takeaways focus on what publishers can do before, during, and after fairs to maximise ROI.

Speaker: Yuvraj Malik, Director, National Book Trust; Ministry of Education, India

Inside the Institutional Buyer: What Large School Networks Want From Publishers (Lessons from Indonesia)

What makes a school network say ‘yes’ to a publisher—and what makes content fail after purchase? This session gives publishers an inside view of institutional decision-making, including how large school networks evaluate content, price, evidence, implementation burden, and long-term value. Drawing lessons from Indonesia, it offers practical insights on product-market fit for schools, adoption at scale, and what drives renewal

Speaker: Dr. Stephanie Riady, President, Pelita Harapan Group (Indonesia)