November · Bologna, historic centre venues
For Italian and international comic artists, comics and graphic novel publishers (Coconino Press, Bao Publishing, Canicola, Edizioni BD, Feltrinelli Comics, Mondadori, Rizzoli Lizard), illustrators and visual artists, graphic novel authors, partner festivals of the European independent comics circuit (Angoulême, Lucerne, Bilbao, Brussels Book Fair), specialist bookshops in Bologna, illustration and comics schools (Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna, Comics School Officina B5, Scuola Internazionale di Comics), art galleries and book shops, cultural press (Internazionale, Linus, Wired, Rolling Stone Italia) and corporate sponsors preparing representation programmes around BilBOlbul, the International Comics Festival that every November animates Bologna’s historic centre with exhibitions, launches, live painting performances, author meetings, workshops and a calendar of side events in bookshops and galleries.
BilBOlbul — the International Comics Festival of Bologna, organised by the Associazione Hamelin with contributions from the Comune di Bologna, Regione Emilia–Romagna, Ministry of Culture, Fondazione del Monte di Bologna e Ravenna, Bologna Fiere, Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna and publishing partners — is one of the reference events of the European comics and graphic novel calendar. Each year, in the mid–November window, the edition brings to Bologna’s historic centre a five–six day programme that combines solo exhibitions of Italian and international comic artists, preview launches of graphic novels, live painting performances, author meetings, workshops for illustration schools, panels on independent comics publishing, visual poetry performances, a calendar of side events in partner bookshops and art galleries, and a showcase dedicated to the new generation of authors. The event is attended by established and emerging comic artists, comics and graphic novel publishers (Coconino Press, Bao Publishing, Canicola, Edizioni BD, Feltrinelli Comics, Mondadori, Rizzoli Lizard, Casterman, Drawn & Quarterly), illustrators and visual artists, graphic novel authors, partner festivals of the European independent comics circuit (Festival de la Bande Dessinée d’Angoulême, Fumetto Lucerne, Bilbao International Comics Festival, Brussels Book Fair), specialist bookshops in Bologna (Libreria Feltrinelli, Libreria Mondadori, independent bookshops of Via Mascarella and the university district), illustration and comics schools (Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna, Officina B5, Scuola Internazionale di Comics), art galleries and bookshops, cultural press (Internazionale, Linus, Wired, Rolling Stone Italia) and corporate sponsors accompanying the event with their own merchandising that is consistent with their brand but respectful of the comics frame.
For publishers presenting a graphic novel or an author the merch programme is structured along several lines: gifts for the guest author during the presentation and interviews, materials for the editorial table, welcome packs for the foreign delegations accompanying the author, gadgets for the cultural press, items for the public of the exhibitions and live painting performances. For independent comic artists presenting their work the kit must respect the festival guidelines, integrate with already printed editorial material and reach destination within the opening week.
The comic artist presenting a graphic novel at the festival needs a discreet, portable kit: numbered edition of the festival plaquette on FSC certified paper, cotton paper bookmark, water-based screen-printed canvas shopper, bilingual agenda, quality pen, personalised label with the author’s name and the title of the graphic novel presented. The partner publisher following the international calendar requires a more structured programme: leather folder, bilingual agenda, festival catalogue, contesting author sheets, multilingual labelling (Italian, English, French, German, Spanish). The specialist bookshop joining the festival windows receives co–ordinated materials: co–ordinated shopper, window bookmark, co–ordinated window cling, small branded stationery. The visitor attending the performances and independent bookshops expects a co–ordinated and portable memento: canvas shopper, festival bookmark, co–ordinated pencil, small quality cartotecnica.
For a merch programme tied to a comic artist or a graphic novel presented at BilBOlbul, our operating hub manages the full chain. We receive the publisher’s master graphics (AI, EPS, PDF/X-4 with CMYK images at 300 dpi, FOGRA39 colour profile) and adapt them to the different customisation techniques: water-based screen printing on GOTS certified organic cotton for tote bags and shoppers, letterpress printing on FSC certified paper for programme booklets and plaquettes, laser engraving on Scandicci small leather goods for author and publisher folders, relief printing on paper for catalogue covers, laser marking on Maniago stainless steel for key rings and small accessories. The pre-production physical sample with Pantone colour map and technical data sheet travels on Italian supply chains (Scandicci leather, Maniago steel, Fabriano paper, Collodi wood for small objects, Como silk for ribbons) and the delivery arrives at a Bologna centre hotel, the publisher’s Bologna address or a consolidation warehouse in the Bolognina area, on slots confirmed by the editorial contact.
Most publishers managing a merch programme around BilBOlbul coordinate their Italian operations from Bologna, Milan or Rome. The Emilia hub — with consolidation warehouses in Bolognina, Saragozza and San Donato — allows us to receive the graphics files from the editorial team, route the pre-production sample on Italian supply chains and ship the lot to a centre hotel, the Biblioteca Salaborsa or the partner bookshop on a tight courier window, twenty-four hours from Emilia–Romagna. For programmes combining an Italian publisher and a European partner we manage bilingual materials (Italian and English at minimum) and, on request, full multilingual release with translations aligned to ISO 17100. For programmes pairing BilBOlbul with the Festival de la Bande Dessinée d’Angoulême, Fumetto Lucerne or the Brussels Book Fair we replicate the logistics on both dates with a single operating contact.
Numbered edition of the festival plaquette on FSC certified paper, cotton paper bookmark, water-based screen-printed canvas shopper, bilingual agenda, stainless steel ballpoint pen, personalised label with the author’s name and the title of the graphic novel presented at BilBOlbul.
Scandicci leather folder with discreet engraving, bilingual agenda, festival catalogue, contesting author sheets, co–ordinated small stationery, multilingual labelling and bilingual packing list addressed to the recipient.
Co–ordinated shopper for the bookshop public, window bookmark on FSC certified paper, co–ordinated window cling for partner bookshop windows, small branded stationery and thank-you postcard for the readers.
Cotton canvas bags with water-based screen printing, festival bookmarks on FSC certified paper, beech wood pencils, Maniago stainless steel key rings, small cartotecnica for partner galleries.
Before starting production, the master graphics files, quantities per publisher and per author, packaging and named receiving point must be closed. The final delivery address is locked against the calendar of the publishing director or the publisher’s logistics contact: the Biblioteca Salaborsa, a centre hotel (Piazza Maggiore, Via Indipendenza, university district), the publisher’s Bologna address or a consolidation warehouse in the Bolognina area. The ZTL access restrictions of the historic centre and Bologna’s traffic conditions shape the loading slots, which is why most teams opt for early morning deliveries or after 20:00, when commercial vehicles are again admitted to the central areas.
For an Italian programme routed through Emilia–Romagna, the deliveries are consolidated at the hub and shipped towards the Biblioteca Salaborsa area or the delegation hotel with 24–hour windows via BRT, SDA, GLS or DHL Express Italia, on appointment for venues requiring telephone notice. For programmes above 1,000 pieces we propose appointment delivery with telephone notice and, on request, on-site set-up by our staff at the Biblioteca Salaborsa hall or the partner bookshop. For materials requiring controlled environmental conditions (FSC certified paper, plaquettes, small leather goods) we coordinate temperature-controlled transports with specialised partners. For kits destined to international delegations we manage multilingual labelling (Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Arabic) and tamper-evident bag packaging with bilingual packing list addressed to the recipient. For clients subject to CSRD reporting (D.Lgs. 125/2024, transposing Directive (EU) 2022/2464) we attach a per-order sustainability sheet with CO₂e Scope 3 estimate according to the GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain on the Lombardy–Emilia–Romagna leg.
All Italian B2B orders are invoiced in EUR at the standard 22% VAT rate (with reduced 4%, 5% and 10% rates applied when the product category allows: publishing, art objects, PDO products) and routed through the Sistema di Interscambio (SdI) of the Agenzia delle Entrate to the addressee code or the buyer’s PEC address. Corp-Merch.IT is an Italian VAT-registered entity, listed in VIES for intra–EU operations, and manages reverse charge, split payment and self-invoicing for public administration according to Italian law in force.
Eight–ten weeks is the safest window for production on Italian supply chains and delivery to the reference hotel of the delegation or the publisher’s Bologna address. Six–seven weeks work when the product mix is simple, the graphic novel graphics are already approved and the quantities are already defined. For publishers pairing BilBOlbul with the Festival de la Bande Dessinée d’Angoulême or Fumetto Lucerne we replicate the lots on both dates with a single operating contact.
Yes, but with precise constraints. The Associazione Hamelin indicates the set-up window, the loading lane and the named addressee. Most teams combine the Biblioteca Salaborsa with a centre hotel (Piazza Maggiore, Via Indipendenza) or with a consolidation warehouse in the Bolognina area. For presentation evenings we propose delivery to the delegation’s reference hotel with twenty-four hour telephone notice.
Yes. For programmes covering multiple graphic novels of the same catalogue or multiple publishers of the same distribution we separate into lots labelled by title and by recipient, with distinct delivery addresses if publishers are based in different cities. For programmes combining Italian publishers and European partners we replicate the logistics on both sides of the production.
No. Corp-Merch.IT is an external and independent B2B supplier that helps publishers, comic artists, illustrators, graphic novel authors, specialist bookshops and sponsors prepare their own merchandise around BilBOlbul. It does not organise, sponsor or represent BilBOlbul, the Associazione Hamelin, the Comune di Bologna, Regione Emilia–Romagna or the Ministry of Culture.
Corp-Merch.IT is an external and independent B2B supplier for publishers, comic artists, illustrators, graphic novel authors, specialist bookshops and delegations participating in BilBOlbul. This page helps teams prepare their own merchandise around the event. It does not represent BilBOlbul, the Associazione Hamelin, the Comune di Bologna, Regione Emilia–Romagna or the Ministry of Culture.