With the opening of Korea International Boat Show 2009 and the Korea Match Cup World Racing Tour only about 20 days away, participating companies gathered for a special meeting where they received tips on how to have successful export meetings, demonstrating their high interest in the additional benefits offered by the Boat Show.

The Briefing for Participants of the Korea International Boat Show was held on May 12, 2009, and was attended by members of over 30 businesses.

This year’s show, to be held at Jeongok Marina of Hwaseong City from June 3 to June 7, will see participation by 274 businesses; this represents a 14% year-on-year increase, and 50% of last year’s participants have booked to attend this year’s event. The total number of domestic participants is now 113, while 162 foreign businesses have also registered. Foreign companies account for 59% of the participants, exceeding the number of domestic participants. Applications were closed in April, but more than 20 candidates are still on a waiting list, hoping for an opportunity to participate.

One-hundred and seventy-one foreign exhibitors were attracted from 20 countries, while 143 foreign buyers and investors have registered for the event. As the campaign to attract foreign buyers will be closed on May 25, the Boat Show is expected to serve as a venue for active business exchanges.

Gyeonggi Province’s Vice Governor of Political Affairs, Yoo Yeon-Chae, said, “We faced challenges due to the global economic recession, but fortunately the number of domestic and foreign participants is actually expected to increase compared to the previous show. Last year’s event featured two exhibition sites, and we added one more site for this year’s event. The marina facility will be completed on May 22. I expect that the show, which marks its 2nd anniversary this year, will strengthen its position as an international event. The show will also feature a wide range of additional events, such as the Open Concert and Cho Yong-Pil Concert, which will attract more visitors. We are striving to arrange these events so as to not conflict with business events in order to satisfy the participating businesses and the visitors.”

Participants in the briefing heated up the Q&A session with questions about the details of the exhibition site, including the materials used for the outdoor exhibition spaces, the transportation fees, and the width of paths for visitors. In addition to the questions, they also made suggestions for better use of the exhibition sites, including the expansion of the parking spaces for the disabled.

The outdoor boat exhibition space of Jeongok Marina is made of pavement blocks, and the exhibitors are exempt from transportation fees. An Internet network connection is provided through fee-based subscription. The exhibition booths will be completed from May 18 to May 21, 2009