A total of 3,596 governmental delegations, cultural institutions and enterprises are expected to attend the 19th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF), which is slated to take place in Shenzhen from June 7 to 11, according to a press conference Thursday.
The five-day fair will attract over 300 overseas exhibitors from 50 countries and regions, and upwards of 20,000 overseas professional visitors from over 100 countries and regions have signed up to participate, the organizers said.
The fair’s main venue at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center will consist of six halls spanning 120,000 square meters. Meanwhile, 64 subvenues will be set up across the city with a wide variety of activities covering different sectors.
The offline Belt & Road international exhibition area will make a comeback this year marking the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Belt & Road international exhibition area will feature regions such as Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, as well as international trade of cultural goods and services. A series of international cultural events will also be held during the fair.
Forums, investment promotion activities, product launches, trade talks and artwork auctions will be organized to highlight the latest development trends and facilitate transactions and cooperation in cultural industries.
For this year’s ICIF, a digital China exhibition area will be established for the first time. Cultural enterprises engaged in new technology applications such as 5G, big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence will be invited to the fair.
Visitors can also take a virtual tour via the website www.cnicif.com or the WeChat miniprogram “文博会+.”
Since the fair’s inception in 2004, ICIF has played a significant role in showcasing the achievements of China’s cultural industries, promoting the industries’ innovative development and facilitating the rapid growth of Shenzhen’s cultural industries, according to the organizers.
The added value of Shenzhen’s cultural industries in 2022 is expected to hit 260 billion yuan (US$36.98 billion), accounting for 8% of the city’s GDP, as per official data.
Shenzhen has over 100,000 cultural enterprises, with more than 1 million people employed in cultural industries, statistics show.