In the days when Kindle editions are beginning to out-popular the physical page-turning and musty smell of a classic hardback, a “Pop-Up Library” provides an easy way for people to be reminded of their literal roots.

The Fresh Awards 2013, to be held in late September, has added a pop-up library this year with tailored bookshelf stock to suit the corporate needs of their delegates. The library is being installed in The Lowry Outlet Mall in Salford Quays, Manchester, and will hold an extensive range of books covering advertising, design, digital, creativity, communications and PR.

The team behind the Fresh Awards have also appointed their own librarian. Simon Sinclair from Manchester-based advertising agency Waggledance will be on-hand to guide guests through the titles. Visitors are encouraged to exchange literature with the library and to lend and borrow from each other in order to create a communal book-club feel.

The Fresh team will also use the 3-day event to debut a new technological device designed to facilitate networking. The ‘Poken’ device wirelessly collects ‘tags’ from special stickers placed strategically around an event (eliminating the need for brochures) and allows its user to swap a highly personalised digital business card with other delegates.

Swapped cards and tagged information are accumulated in a Poken account, the contents of which can then be saved and shared. The aim is to cut out the margin for human error in which business cards get lost and email addressess are typed incorrectly in order to network and connect more efficiently.