The Dubai International Character & Licensing Fair (Character Dubai), which concluded today in Dubai, has raised the profile of the character licensing sector and opened doors for a host of new licensing opportunities in the region.
Held under the Patronage of H.H. Sheikh Majed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, the exhibition was aimed at promoting the character licensing industry in the Middle East and beyond. The event is the first dedicated trade show in the region for the marketing and licensing of cartoon characters, logos, films, brands and designs.
Held from October 28-30 at the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre, Character Dubai has brought together more than 250 companies from 25 countries and 10,000 visitors representing the leading producers, exhibitors, and traders involved in the development, marketing and licensing of cartoon characters from across the world. The exhibition showcased many major global and regional household names such as the Nickelodeon characters and highly successful Emirati creations like Freej.
“The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority will build on Dubai’s status as one of the most multicultural cities in the world, where East meets West, and will actively encourage the over 200 nationalities living and working together in Dubai to contribute to the culture and arts renaissance. . Character Dubai not only provided licensing opportunities for established businesses, but also gave aspiring entrepreneurs a platform to promote new enterprises,” said Saeed Al Nabouda, Chief Projects Officer of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority.
“Moreover, the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, in its drive to identify and nurture talent, hosted live art sessions by young UAE artists on its stand throughout the duration of the exhibition. This initiative provided them with exposure to global standards in this field and the opportunity to perform in front of live audiences and established animation artists,” Al Nabouda added.
Artists who participated in these sessions included Wafa Ibrahim Al Housani, Mohammed Al Shaibani, Mai Aldabbah and Hessa Al Joker.
Character Dubai brought together leading international character creators, artists, media, advertisers, graphic designers, marketers, manufacturers, retailers, licensees, licensing agents, licensors and other decision-makers and investors from the entire Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries, the Indian Subcontinent, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas.
The exhibitors included leading names from the animation industry and firms specialising in creating cartoon characters. Also present were game developers, fashion licensors, art licensors, artists and artist representatives, graphic design firms, book publishers and many others.
About the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority
The Dubai Culture and Arts Authority is mandated to create a rich environment for Emirati heritage, visual arts, theatre, music, literature and poetry in order to further position Dubai as a vibrant, Arabian global city for the arts. The Authority was recently launched in March 2008 under the directive of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. The Authority operates under the chairmanship of HH Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
