Gwangju ACE Fair: The Big Entertainment Market in Korea’s ‘Flyover Country’
Throughout the year, South Korea plays host to several large media content markets for international buyers and sellers.
The next major event in Korea will be the Busan Contents Market (BCM) which takes place in May.
We already covered BCM, so if you missed it feel free to check out our article covering entertainment business events that take place in Busan at the link here: Busan Means Business
In this entry we’ll do a quick rundown of the Gwangju ACE Fair, which is one of the best content markets that you’ve probably never heard of!
Gwanju ACE Fair 2024
Have you heard of the Korean city Gwangju?
Well that’s a trick question as Korea actually has two cities with this name! There is a “little” Gwangju, which sits just on the edge of Seoul and has a population of about 400,000 people, and there is a “big” Gwangju that lies further south in Jeolla Province.
A ski resort in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do
The bigger Gwangju, which is Korea’s 6th largest city, is a 2-hour train ride from Seoul on the KTX high-speed rail line. The city is a major cultural and economic hub in an area of Korea that isn’t quite Seoul and isn’t quite Busan either. With its own thriving economy and facilities for producing content, Gwangju is also home to Gwangju ACE Fair – which is one of Korea’s largest content markets.
Gwangju in Jeolla Province
Co-sponsored by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the city of Gwangju, the Asia Content Entertainment (ACE) Fair is a major international event that has been held annually since 2006 and showcases various types of entertainment content from Korea and many other countries.
Buyers attending the ACE Fair can find broadcast, animation, gaming, metaverse (AR/VR) content and character licensing. While there is a wide variety of available, the Gwangju ACE Fair has historically been a top destination for acquiring animation content and character licensing.
Content Categories at Gwangju Ace Fair
Like other content markets, Gwangju ACE Fair has a business matching system that helps connect buyer and sellers. There are also translation and business services available!
How big is the Gwangju ACE Fair? According to event’s website, more than 400 companies participated in the market that was held in 2023. This includes 510 booths and 161 buyers.
In addition to business meetings the Gwangju ACE Fair also hosts panels and seminars. The 2023 ACE Fair program included talks on the future of content production, the role of AI in interactive, live entertainment, Pink Fong’s strategy for global family entertainment and the role of adapting characters in the world of transmedia. The program included a mix of entertainment executives from major Korean companies such as CJ and Waave as well international companies such as Warner Bros and DC Entertainment.
The 2024 edition of the Gwangju ACE Fair will take place from September 26-29 at the Kim Daejung Convention Center. This is just a week before the Busan International Film Festival, which also has a content market, so with careful planning it is possible to squeeze in both events.
Kim Daejung Convention Center
For more information on the 2024 Gwangju ACE Fair and how to register for the event, please visit their official website: