The 2018 Asia Content and Entertainment Fair (Gwangju ACE Fair) raised its curtains on 13 September at the Kimdaejung Convention Center, Gwangju, and Republic of Korea and was inaugurated by South Korean dignitaries and chief guest Mayor of Gwangju.
The fair covers categories including broadcast and audiovisual, animation, games, character, edutainment, VR and AR, merchandise and more. ACE Fair is enjoyed by global media professionals as well as everyday consumers with B2B exhibition which helps companies expand their networks and discover new opportunities.
AnimationXpress acted as the online media partner for the fair. As one of the most extensive content exhibition, Gwangju ACE Fair is only expanding and welcoming new emerging categories. The first day of the event saw huge attendance of participants and ended with a special welcome dinner for all the participants.
The second day, just like the previous one saw professionals all geared up for the B2B meets. There were walk-in meetings between buyers and sellers. The fair had a special room assigned for MOU signing ceremony between companies getting into partnership with each other.
The fair saw an estimated 9,000 visitors and 70 amateur creators participating in the market with 70 company’s booths. It also had a book festival, making the B2B experience an enriching one. The event is organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea and Gwangju Metropolitan City and hosted by Kimdaejung Convention Center, KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency), sponsored by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, and other prominent associations.
The fair, after two successfull days, attracted a large number of families, teenagers and animation fans on the third day. It had also organised a culture tour for all the foreign delegates in a bus from the convention centre, which started with a guided trip to Gwangju Biennale, an international contemporary art exhibition. The crowd was also treated to a traditional Korean lunch at a Hanok(traditional Korean thatched roof house), which was followed by a visit to Korean temple and Korean fan painting session.
The last day of the fair witnessed a vast crowd just like the previous three days. A section at the fair was reserved for board game makers and gaming companies, displaying gaming technologies. The day also saw creative cosplayers including adults and kids, decked up in their favourite anime characters’ costumes. But what captured everybody’s fancy was the fan interaction session with 12 famous Korean YouTube stars.
AnimationXpress has been a part of all these events and garnered valuable insights from this fair and hope to see the partnership growing in the coming years, with an even bigger and successful ACE Fair at Gwangju.
