Digital tech helps expand global reach of ICIF

The Belt and Road International Hall is packed with visitors during last year’s ICIF. Photos provided by ICIF organizers

The 20th edition of the China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) will be held from May 23 to 27 at the Shenzhen World Exhibition and Convention Center in Bao’an District.

This year’s fair will use AI, AR, and other multimedia technologies to highlight new business patterns, applications, and models of digital transformation, media integration, the metaverse, and cultural and technological innovation. Top digital cultural enterprises such as Tencent and Douyin have been invited to participate.

A man touches a simulated human at the ICIF in 2007.

Digital services have been used for ICIF processes such as registering exhibitors and buyers, facilitating exhibition reservations and site tours within the exhibition halls, hosting virtual shows and enabling online transactions, according to a news conference organized by the Information Office of the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government on Tuesday.

As a VR service provider that has served the fair for seven years, Shenzhen Huayi Zhushan Technology Co. Ltd. is gearing up for this year’s fair.

Over the years, the company has expanded its business scope and unveiled new technologies through its involvement in the ICIF, progressing from the initial application of VR technologies at the fair to servicing major exhibitions like the China Hi-Tech Fair and esteemed clients such as Huawei and the China General Nuclear Power Group.

Visitors enjoy the urban landscape of Sichuan Province, which was portrayed through the cutting-edge immersive  experiences of naked-eye 3D and VR technologies at the ICIF in 2018.

The ICIF conducted its first virtual fair in 2020, marking the inception of its virtual hall services. Through the use of VR technologies and panoramic imaging techniques, virtual visitors were able to explore digital halls and the cultural achievements of 30 countries and regions in the virtual Belt and Road International Hall. Now the fair has introduced VR+ services that allow exhibitors to effortlessly locate their virtual booths and seamlessly link them to their corporate WeChat accounts.

This year’s fair will introduce a novel approach that blends exhibitions, live-streaming, and e-commerce. Teams from Taobao, Douyin, and JD.com will live-stream in the exhibition halls and provide transactional support to exhibitors.

Fu Pengfei, general manager of Shenzhen Huayi Zhushan Technology Co. Ltd., underscored the critical importance of fully exploring and showcasing the cultural value of exhibits for facilitating successful transactions. “In this process, the integration of ‘culture + technology’ and the adoption of new digital technologies can enhance communication efficiency, depth, and convenience,” he said.