Iran Media Expo opens after multi-year hiatus

The 24th Iran Media Expo opened in Tehran on Sunday after a six-year hiatus. The opening ceremony was attended by Iranian Culture Minister Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili, senior politburo member of Hamas Osama Hamdan, and other Iranian cultural officials and media members. The last edition of the expo was in October 2017 and was paused due to a slump in the Iranian press market and the COVID-19 outbreak.

Iran’s culture minister expressed pleasure at the participation of 450 media outlets in this year’s expo. More than 600 media outlets from Iran and abroad, as well as relevant knowledge-based firms, are taking part in the four-day event. Themed meetings on media technology, including artificial intelligence, politics, educational workshops, and ceremonies to honor prominent and veteran journalists and media members are part of the expo’s official website.

In addition to local media, outlets from China, Russia, Qatar, Turkey, and Lebanon, as well as media activists from European countries covering the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, have been invited to the expo, according to the Iranian Culture Ministry.

The expo’s last edition opened in October 2017 and has been put on pause since then due to a slump in the Iranian press market and the COVID-19 outbreak. Speaking at the expo’s opening ceremony, Esmaeili said he and the sector were glad to see that some 450 media outlets have taken part in this year’s expo, and that the participation of over 600 media outlets from Iran and abroad, along with relevant knowledge-based firms, demonstrates the significant interest in the event.

The expo features themed meetings on media technology, including artificial intelligence, politics, educational workshops, and ceremonies to honor Iran’s prominent and veteran journalists and media members, according to the expo’s official website. The participation of international media outlets and activists from European countries covering the conflict in the Gaza Strip highlights the global interest in the event.