As one of the world’s most sought after convention destinations, Korea is rapidly expanding its share of the lucrative MICE (Meetings, Incentive Travels, Conventions and Exhibitions) market by having designated the MICE industry as one of the key strategic industries to boost its economy and by having proven its ability to successfully host international events, writes Dr Seung-Jin Suh, professor of convention and event management at the Hallym Institute of Advanced International Studies, Seoul, Korea.
Korea hosted 293 international meetings in 2008 and is the third most popular meetings destination in Asia and the seveth in the world. Korea’s top meetings and conference destinations are Seoul, the capital, followed by Busan, Jeju Island and Daejeon.
Seoul will host several major events throughout the year as Seoul presents itself as the World Design Capital 2010. A wave of new design and architecture is surging through Seoul. Host to this year’s Design Olympiad and selected as 2010’s World Design Capital, the city saw Rem Koolhaas’s shape-changing Transformer cultural pavilion for Prada open next to the Gyeonghui Palace. Other upcoming architecture projects include Daniel Libeskind’s addition to the Yongsan financial district, which will feature hotels, flats and shopping centres by 2016, and Zaha Hadid’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park, set to open in 2011.
The major events Korea will host in 2010 include:
O The Korea MICE Expo for the next three years in Seoul (2010-2012) O August: The World Firefighter’s Games in Daegu O November: The G-20 summit/ B20 (Business 20) Conference in Seoul
The major events Korea will host in the future include: O The 2011 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Daegu O The 2011 OECD Conference on Aid Effects in Seoul O The World Expo 2012 in Yeosu City (on the southern coastline of Korea) O The 2012 World Congress of Conserving the Nature (WCC) in Jeju O The 2012 World Congress of Mathematicians O The 2013 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference (IEEE) in Seoul O The 2013 World Conference of Otolaryngology O The 2014 Asian Games in Incheon O The 2014 World Congress of International Society of Internal Medicine (ISIM) in Seoul O The 2014 World Congress of IUSS (International Union of Soil Science) in Seoul O The 2015 World Congress of Industrial Health O The 2016 ISH (International Society of Hypertension) Scientific Meeting in Seoul
To find how MEI can help you in Korea, please download the attached PDF.
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