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Tea Philo series in Malaysia discusses exhibition licensing

  • Date:2019-06-22
Tea Philo series in Malaysia discusses exhibition licensing

Co-organized by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia and the Ministry of Culture, the 2019 edition of the "Tea Philo" series kicked off on June 22 at the Shaw Parade in Kuala Lumpur.


General manager Lin Yi-biao (林宜標) of the Taipei-based Media Sphere Communications Ltd., which organizes international artistic and cultural exhibitions, was invited by Tea Philo to share his experience in curating exhibitions on materials licensed from Taiwanese and foreign organizations. Lin is also responsible for the planning of the National Palace Museum's souvenir shops.


The speech inspired warm discussion during the Q&A session, as internationally licensed exhibitions remain a business on the rise in Malaysia.


The June 22 workshop began with a keynote speech delivered by CEO Goh Boon Peng (吳文彬) of the Chinese-language crowdfunding site MyStartr in Malaysia on the current status and future development of the exhibition industry in Taiwan and Malaysia. He also served as host to this session.


Meanwhile, Media Sphere's Lin told the audiences that he joined the exhibition business in the 1990s, when Taiwan's cultural and creative industry was still in its infancy. When he joined Media Sphere, he began working hard to promote exhibitions on fine arts. So far, he has organized over ten licensed exhibitions worldwide, drawing over eight million participants and accumulating abundant experience.


Walking Malaysian audiences through the organizational process of licensed exhibitions, Lin provided them with a preliminary idea about the industry by explaining the differences between loaned displays of fine arts and IP-licensed exhibitions and identifying the seven key steps — initiative development, exhibition search, proposal talks, deal assessment, exhibition management, merchandise curation, and marketing campaign. He then shared his experience in organizing shows that spotlight in-house content and require no external licensing.


To help the audiences learn more about the practical operations of organizing licensed exhibitions, Lin also offered the examples of three exhibitions that his company curated — "The Pirate Festival One Piece Anime 15th Anniversary Special Celebration," the Media Sphere-licensed "Upside Down House," and the "National Geographic At 125 – A New Age of Exploration."



The ongoing Tea Philo series invites outstanding Taiwanese professionals working in culture and the arts to share their expertise with Malaysian audiences. The next session slated for July 27 will feature Apu Jan (詹朴), fashion designer extraordinaire. Follow the Tea Philo Facebook page for the latest announcements.