The 2018 Asia Content and Entertainment Fair (Gwangju ACE Fair) will take place from 13 to 16 September at the Kimdaejung Convention Center, Gwangju, Republic of Korea. The main exhibition categories will include broadcast and audiovisual, animation, games, character, edutainment, VR and AR, etc.
Every September, member companies of the Gwangju Information and Culture Industry Promotion Agency (GITCT), the Gwangju Design Center, the Korea Cable Television and Telecommunications Association (KCTA), the Gwangju Creative Contents Industry Association, the Korea Culture Contents Licensing Association (KOCLA), the Korea Animation Artist Association, the Korea Character Business Association, the Korean Film Council, the Formative and Cultural Center, the Korea Industrial Technology Foundation for Media and Culture, the Guangzhou Animation and Cartoon Association, the Hong Kong Animation and Comic Association, the Yantai Animation Association and other companies recruited by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) are going to gather in Gwangju to conduct business and make new or maintain business relations with companies in various parts of the content industry.
Last year, an estimated 2,180 meetings took place between company representatives from 38 countries with support from the ACE Fair Secretariat where 20 MOUs and 17 contracts were signed.
The GITCT have been supporting the growth and development of local companies through their incubator program. The GITCT was established in 2002 to develop and promote culture industry in Gwangju. The agency provides financial assistance and marketing support required to produce culture content, as well as manpower training, facility, and equipment.
Due to the Hub City of Asian Culture Project administered by the national government, Gwangju is the ideal place for content creation with the necessary infrastructure, spirit, and support.
The first ACE Festival took place on Children’s Day weekend, from 5 to 6 May. It was conceived as a preliminary event to Gwangju ACE Fair taking place in September. The show aimed to provide a meeting point for amateur creators, educational institutions, school clubs, and consumers for cultural content, such as webtoon, comics, animation, characters, etc.
An estimated 9,000 visitors, many of them in family units, attended ACE Festival to experience the market and the diverse events prepared by the festival organiser, the ACE Fair Secretariat. 70 amateur creators participated in the amateur market and 70 companies set up their booth at the event.
Among the show’s many sponsors, the Webtoon Industry Association and the Webtoon Association signed a memorandum of understanding at the event. The two associations hope to strengthen their network for future ventures in the domestic and overseas webtoon market and facilitate the participation of webtoon professionals in Gwangju ACE Fair this September.
As Korea’s most comprehensive culture content exhibition, Gwangju ACE Fair continues to expand into industries relating to entertainment and welcomes participation from new and emerging categories. Participants can expect to meet quality Korean and overseas companies looking for content, licensing, merchandising, and co-production opportunities.
The 13th Gwangju ACE Fair will take place from 13 to 16 September at the Kimdaejung Convention Center.
