The UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth has revealed the three-day programme for the World Conference on Creative Economy (WCCE 2021), including a line-up of speakers and sessions specially curated to inspire the thought-leaders and policymakers of the cultural and creative industries, taking place 7-9 December 2021 at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo 2020.
Among the array of the global featured talent – spanning the arts, film, music, fashion, tech, gaming, and design industries – are influential individuals synonymous with the global creative economy, including John Howkins; leading strategist on creativity and innovation from the UK and author of well-known books ‘The Creative Economy’ and ‘Creative Ecologies’, author Malcolm Gladwell, world-renown motivational speaker, author of five New York Times bestsellers including The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers, for his unique perspective on popular culture and John Newbigin OBE, ambassador for the creative industries, Mayor of London.
Set across more than 60 live and virtual panels, individual talks, in-person performances, and masterclasses over three days, the conference will discuss the current trends, challenges and solutions facing the cultural and creative industries, including those posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Of the six broad themes being explored throughout the programme, ‘Elevating the Media & Communications Landscape’ will stand out among creators, collaborators and communities interested in exploring new ways to convey and consume content.
Among an action-packed three days of dialogue and inspiring collaboration, key sessions within the ‘Elevating the Media & Communications Landscape’ theme include:
Developing New Ways to Communicate
A panel session featuring creative director and co-founder of Studio Safar, Maya Moumne, and Lebanese-Dutch graphic designer, Tareq Atrissi, will explore how design plays a fundamental role in the continuously disrupted and evolving communications landscape.
The Role of the Creative Economy in Cultivating and Catalysing Inclusivity
A physical panel session moderated by Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation will feature speakers including Laura Zucker, Nationally recognized arts leader from the US and Director, Center for Business & Management of the Arts in Claremont Graduate University and Caroline Norbury, Founding Chief Executive, Creative Industries Federation In the UK. The session will discuss the critical factors for creativity to flourish and ensure that access to the creative economy is truly inclusive. The speakers explore how investment into the creative economy is needed to unlock value chains for global society on multiple levels – from sustainable development to financial, social and cultural prosperity.
Who’s Listening to What? Shifts in content consumption, post-pandemic
This insightful panel session will explore the immediate impact of the pandemic on various key stakeholders across the music industry, navigating through the immediate impact on content creation to production and distribution, as well as new trends that are here to stay. The session will be moderated by Big Hass and will feature panellists leading the region’s music industry including Elie Abou Saleh, VP of the first regional legal music streaming platform ‘Anghami’.
Marking the closing event in the United Nations’ ‘International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development 2021’, WCCE 2021, held from 7 – 9 December 2021 under the leadership of Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in the heart of Expo 2020, is set to define the future of the global creative economy.
To register and for more details about the event’s sessions and schedule, please visit WCCE’s digital platform www.wcce.ae. WCCE 2021 is open to the public and free of charge, pre-registration is required as spaces are limited.
