ICIF to be Held in Shenzhen with International Elements Showcasing China’s High-level Opening-up

Crowned as the “top cultural fair in China”, the 18th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) will kick off on the afternoon of December 28, 2022. Visitors can come and enjoy the cultural feast from December 29, 2022, to January 2, 2023.

It is estimated that this year’s event will attract a total of 3,402 exhibitors. Among them, 2,532 are governmental delegations, cultural institutions and businesses, which will attend the fair on site, and 870 institutes and enterprises will set up online booths.

A total of 65 parallel sessions will run across the city. They are scheduled to hold over 300 activities with industrial characteristics, profound cultural connotations, and transactional functions, such as exhibitions, forums, live broadcasting, contract signing, auction, and project promotion.

The ICIF is the first cultural fair in China recognized by the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI). Since its establishment 17 years ago, the ICIF has developed into a market-oriented, professional and international fair. It has been playing a key role in promoting the creative transformation and development of the best of traditional Chinese culture, giving birth to new cultural enterprises, cultural business modes, and cultural consumption modes, and leading the high-quality development of China’s cultural industries. It has now grown into the largest, most effective and most influential exhibition with the highest specification in the cultural sectors in China, and an important platform and window to spread Chinese culture to the world.

This year’s ICIF will feature international cultural cooperation, aiming to enhance global people-to-people exchange and cultural trade ties. In line with the internationalization strategy and innovative approaches, the event will seek to boost open cultural collaboration, communication, and trade that will bring benefits to all amid the ongoing COVID-19 response. It will also make full use of domestic and international markets and resources to promote high-level opening up in an all-round manner.

One of this year’s ICIF highlights will be the Online International Hall. By leveraging digital tools and internet technologies, the organizer has built an online platform for exhibition and trade, with a view to expanding the international cultural trade network. A wide range of foreign cultural institutions and businesses in China have been mobilized to attend the fair and showcase their projects and products on cultural tourism, cultural education, cultural art, cultural innovation, etc.

At the main session, there will also be an on-site experience area for the Online International Hall. The area will be used to display excellent exhibits and projects, so as to provide a better viewing and interactive experience for offline visitors and spice up the fair with diversified global elements.

A large number of overseas purchasers have also been invited to take a tour and make procurement at the online fair. This is part of the efforts to support the exhibitors to better integrate themselves into the dual circulation pattern and explore new markets. It also aims to build the ICIF into an important cultural platform for international procurement, investment promotion, cultural exchange, and open cooperation, hence facilitating mutual learning and win-win partnership in global cultural industries.

Currently, the value added of Shenzhen’s cultural industries exceeded 250 billion yuan, accounting for over 8% of the city’s GDP. As a state-level international comprehensive cultural industry fair, the ICIF has been successfully held for seventeen sessions. Over these years, it has not only contributed positively to the national cultural industries, but also played a crucial role in Shenzhen’s cultural industrial growth. The fair has become a key brand for Shenzhen’s socio-economic development and cultural construction, as well as an important window to this growing metropolis.