Bahrami: Isfahan Can Become a National Model for Creative Industries Development

Isfahan – Head of the Manevin national creative industries event, citing the capabilities of creative companies and the human capacities of Isfahan, said the province's experience can serve as a basis for developing creative industries in other regions of the country.

According to Mehr reporter, Abdul Hassan Bahrami, on Monday afternoon, at the press conference of Manvin National Creative Industries event with the media, which was held in the presence of Isfahan governor in the governor's office, he said: This event will be held in Isfahan from October 21 to 23, and efforts have been made to provide a link between creative companies, the market and investors by designing exhibition, competitive and support sections.

Referring to the widespread acceptance of Manvin's call by the activists of this field, he added: The call for this event started on May 11, 1405, and due to the participation of creative, knowledge-based and technological companies from different parts of the country, the deadline for registration was extended until July 11.

Manvin, the head of the national event of creative industries, stated that a total of 396 companies registered to participate in the exhibition section, and stated: after the evaluations, about 130 companies were selected for the final participation, and with the addition of about 20 large companies, the number of exhibition participants reached about 150 companies. Also, a series of creative and knowledge-based companies and institutions active in the ecosystem of soft technologies and creative industries are present in this event.

Explaining the executive structure of this event, Bahrami said: Manvin is designed in three parts: exhibition, festival and public calls, each of which has a specific mission in developing the ecosystem of creative industries.

He continued: In the exhibition section, the achievements and capabilities of creative, knowledge-based and technological companies will be introduced; In the festival section, identifying and introducing top brands and successful business models in creative industries is on the agenda.

Manvin, the head of the national event of creative industries, added: In the public appeals department, we also try to help start-up companies in the path of product development and commercialization through low-interest facilities and support that can be converted into grants. Because some of the creative businesses need targeted support to reach the stage of maturity and effective presence in the market.

Referring to the design of special awards for Manvin's competitive section, Bahrami said: In this year's festival, 35 one billion tomans prizes with the title of golden statue and seven two billion toman prizes with the title of diamond statue have been considered for the winners.

He stated: These awards cover areas such as computer games, animation, animation, fashion and clothing, design, toys, education and learning, and specialized creative houses.

Referring to the evaluation criteria of works and businesses, the head of the national creative industries event, Manvin, said: the amount of sales, exports, product complexity, innovation and the amount of employment created are among the selection indicators of the winners.

He added: Initially, it was planned to announce the winners by September 15, but the secretariat decided to increase the evaluation capacity and enter more candidates into the final stage. Based on this, the field evaluation and the presentation of the capabilities of the selected companies to the evaluators are carried out on the days of the exhibition so that the selection of the chosen ones is done with more accuracy and transparency.

Bahrami said: The closing ceremony and introduction of the winners of this event will be held on October 23 at the place of Isfahan International Exhibition.

Head of the National Creative Industries Event, Manvin, referring to the planned support programs for the development of these businesses, stated: The Innovation and Prosperity Fund has considered a 100 billion Toman credit line to pay resources through research and technology funds and in the form of support for creative companies.

He added: Also, a memorandum of understanding has been signed with the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare's Ministry of Employment and Welfare, according to which, 150 billion Tomans will be allocated from resources related to self-employment and home businesses to support creative companies and through the mechanisms foreseen in the financing network.

Bahrami emphasized: One of the main goals of Manvin is that creative companies do not remain only at the stage of introducing ideas and products, but are able to go through the path of production, market development and commercialization with access to financial resources.

Explaining the reasons for choosing Isfahan to host this national event, he said: In the process of choosing the host, the capacities of different provinces were examined, and the policy of decentralization from Tehran and the holding of national events in susceptible regions of the country were taken into consideration.

The head of the national event of creative industries Manvin continued: In addition to having a historical and cultural background, Isfahan has living capacities in the fields of handicrafts, architecture, textiles, design and trade. The introduction of Isfahan as a creative craft city in the UNESCO Creative Cities network, having a significant number of creative companies after Tehran, suitable infrastructure and the readiness of the province's senior management for cooperation were also effective in choosing this city.

Emphasizing the human and institutional capacities of Isfahan, Bahrami stated: the power of this province is not limited to handicrafts and fields such as animation, computer games, design and other branches of creative industries also have significant capacities. Isfahan can become a platform for the development of this field in the country and its successful experiences can be used for other provinces as well.

The head of the national creative industries event, Manvin, emphasized the need to change the way of looking at this field and said: In today's economy, the production of wealth is not solely dependent on factories, machinery and large capitals; People who have a creative idea and can turn it into a product, market and business are also able to create economic value.

He added: Creative industries are not limited to art and cultural activities, but include a wide range of activities from industrial design and crafts to computer games and digital content production.

Stating that the country has many capacities in terms of cultural, artistic and creative talents, Bahrami noted: the main issue is how to convert these capacities into salable products, employment, income and sustainable businesses. Manvin has been formed with this purpose to connect the creative power of the country and the real needs of the market.

Referring to the holding of three meetings of the National Policy Council of this event, he stated: In the first meeting, which was held at the Vice President of Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, six members of the government and representatives of related institutions, including the Iranian Chamber of Commerce and the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, were present.

The head of the National Creative Industries event, Manvin, continued: The second meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, and Isfahan provincial managers also participated in it. The third meeting was held on Saturday with the presence of the president and related members of the presidential institution.

Bahrami stated: Based on the discussions raised in these meetings, after the holding of Manvin, the support packages and the policy system for the development of creative industries and strengthening the position of the creative economy as one of the advantages of the national economy are to be pursued more seriously.

Pointing to the necessity of establishing coordination between the executive bodies, universities, private sector and supporting institutions of the province, he said: In the past months, by holding provincial and national meetings, the duties and capacities of different groups were determined and the cooperation between different sectors for the development of this ecosystem was increased.

Manvin, the head of the national creative industries event, emphasized: The goal is not to hold an exhibition and stop the activities after the closing. Manvin should be the starting point of a continuous path for transformation in the creative economy, and its achievements will continue in policy making and business support.

Referring to the characteristics of the participants of the Manvin exhibition, Bahrami said: nearly half of the companies in the exhibition sector are managed by women, and the share of women in the management of these companies may even be higher than this.

He added: The managers of many creative companies present at the event are between 20 and 35 years old, and this shows the high capacity of the young generation for economic activity based on creativity and innovation.

The head of the national event of creative industries Manvin, referring to the wide range of specialized fields of the participants, said: Handicrafts has the largest share in the exhibition sector in terms of the number of companies present; However, areas such as computer games and animation also have a high capacity to create added value.

Emphasizing the necessity of the media to play a role in introducing the capacities of the country's creative industries, he said: the success of this event becomes meaningful when it goes beyond the exhibition space, finds its way into people's lives, and with public participation, provides a basis for the society to know more about the economic opportunities of the creative industries.

Bahrami pointed out: By introducing the capacities of creative companies, following up on the results of support and demanding the continuation of programs, the media can help to transform Manvin from a three-day event into an effective and lasting movement in the country's creative economy.