The southern city of Tainan makes final preparations for the 2024 Creative Expo Taiwan, an event that highlights the country’s dynamic cultural and creative industry, as well as the spirit of innovation.
Organized by the Ministry of Culture, the 10-day event features around 700 stalls from 570 brands at venues around the city including the Tainan Cultural and Creative Park, 321 Art Alley Settlement and ICC Tainan. The expo has sections focused on licensing intellectual property, sharing the history and culture of Tainan, and building new brands, among others.
During a news conference Aug. 5 in Tainan to outline the expo, Deputy Minister of Culture Sue Wang said that hosting the event in Tainan for the first time underlines the historical significance of the city. CET’s 2024 theme, “Hundred Faces of the Treasure Island,” also emphasizes Taiwan’s diverse and inclusive society, she added.
According to Wang, the expo uses thematic curation to respond to contemporary cultural trends, shaping commercial exhibitions into industrial licensing trading platforms. She added that IP licensing-related products account for 60 percent of all products at CET, a new high.
Other highlights include outdoor learning and walking tours, and extended opening hours of historical sites such as Anping Old Fort and Chikan Tower, the MOC said. The ministry added that this year CET has attracted around 100 cultural and creative products buyers from Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.
Launched in 2010, the annual expo plays a key role in the MOC’s strategic promotion of the cultural and creative industry. The sector was first included in the national development plan in 2002 and further prioritized following promulgation of the Law for the Development of the Cultural and Creative Industries in 2010. (YCH-E)
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