WCCE 2021 Historical Overview
This page records the factual details of the second World Conference on Creative Economy held in Dubai during December 2021. It serves as an independent reference for researchers reviewing the event within our broader WCCE 2021 archive context.
Event Facts and Location
The second World Conference on Creative Economy took place from 7 to 9 December 2021. The venue was the Dubai Exhibition Centre, operating within the wider Expo 2020 Dubai site (source). This gathering brought together international delegates to discuss policy frameworks and practical developments affecting cultural and creative industries globally.
The event followed the inaugural conference previously held in Indonesia, marking a continuation of multilateral dialogue around creative sector growth.
Official Themes
Conference programming was structured around six distinct thematic pillars. According to the official Indonesian archive, these were defined as follows (source):
- Future Sustainable
- Reworking Work
- Technology Transformation
- Inclusivity and Diversity
- Education Unleashed
- Elevating the Media and Communications Landscape
Related Outputs from the Event
Several documents and agendas emerged alongside the main sessions. A nine-page historical programme preserved by Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi outlines daily panels covering intellectual property, sustainable cultural tourism, digital creativity and creative cities (source). This programme is separate from the 21-point agenda noted in a participant account after the conference.
A participant account published in late December 2021 notes that attendees agreed upon a 21-point UAE WCCE 2021 Agenda, which was made available for download from the original domain at that time (source). This output should not be confused with the daily schedule or other international frameworks presented during the same week.
Additionally, the Creative PEC launched its Global Agenda for the Cultural and Creative Industries at the Dubai conference. That document sets out 11 key actions and was prepared in partnership with the British Council, supported by AHRC funding (source).
Domain and Archival Context
The official Indonesian WCCE archive currently includes a link pointing to wcce.ae (source). However, the website now operating at this address is independently owned and managed. It does not represent the original conference organisers, nor does it maintain any institutional affiliation with past events.
Historical captures on the Internet Archive show the first archived homepage dated 25 October 2021, with identical decoded HTML appearing in sampled snapshots from June 2023, November 2024, January 2026 and June 2026 (source). These captures are not proof of uninterrupted ownership over that period.
Readers seeking further background on how this independent resource differs from the historical event can review our editorial purpose or explore related guides such as the surviving conference programme and distinguishing the 2021 agendas.