KINTEX Celebrates the Opening of its Second Annex
(Published September 28, 2012)
 
KINTEX succeeded in hosting a string of international events last year… economic effects estimated at KRW 1.05 trillion

◇ View of newly opened KINTEX 2nd Exhibition Center ⓒ G-News Plus

Korea’s largest convention center, KINTEX, celebrates the first anniversary of its 2nd Exhibition Center annex on the 28th of September.
With the recent expansion, KINTEX was able to secure a total of 100,000m² of exhibition space, placing it among the top ranks of international exhibition centers. Its state-of-the-art infrastructure is leading Korea’s domestic exhibition industry into a new era.
 
KINTEX successfully hosted the Korea Industry Fair, Seoul International Machine Tool Show, International Food Industry Exhibition, and other events that occupied all ten exhibition halls (108,000m²). It also has the international events GASTECH 2014 and Rotary International 2016 lined up, proving its competitiveness at a global level.
 
KINTEX is thought to have generated KRW 614.8 billion in production, KRW 135.1 billion in income, and KRW 285 billion in value-added revenue, economic ripple effects amounting to KRW 1.06 trillion, and also created employment for 17,713 people in the process. Gyeonggi Province’s government estimates that KINTEX will have generated KRW 2 trillion by its fifth anniversary.
 
Up-scaling and Globalization of Korea’s Convention Industry
 
KINTEX recently celebrated the first anniversary of its second exhibition facility. The convention center has hosted larger, more global events in recent years, making its economic effects more visible than ever. KINTEX has hosted 87 conventions since it opened its second Exhibition Center, marking a 43% increase year-on-year.

Naturally, the scale of events hosted at KINTEX has become larger. The 2012 Seoul International Machine Tool Show (SIMTOS) utilized 100,000 m² of exhibition space, the largest so far. Some 762 companies from 34 nations attended the event. The halls were filled with a total of 108,000 visitors and 5,143 buyers.

The Seoul International Machine Tool Show took the Japan International Machine Tool Fair’s place this year, coming in fourth among the largest machine tool production and manufacturing technology conventions after Germany’s EMO, China’s CIMT, and the United States’ IMT.
Thanks to KINTEX’s expansion, the Seoul International Food Industry Exhibition was able to expand to 80,000m² from last year’s 54,000 m². This year’s event attracted 1,160 companies from 43 nations as well as over 42,000 visitors (including 3,288 overseas buyers), thus ranking third among all food industry conventions held in Asia.

The 2013 Seoul Motor Show, scheduled for March next year, will also expand its scale twofold to 102,431 m². More full-scale international conventions are expected to be held at KINTEX, and will utilize both exhibition center buildings.

◇ 2013 Seoul Motor Show to be held at KINTEX in March next year. ⓒ G-News Plus
 
More Large International Events to Come

The biggest accomplishment since the opening of KINTEX’s second exhibition center has been the hosting of some of the world’s largest international conferences and events.

KINTEX hosted a total of twenty-one exhibitions, a 24% increase compared to the previous year, attracting over 70,000 visitors including 20,000 from outside of Korea, thus proving its ability to host international conventions and events and ensure their success.

In June KINTEX was selected as the host venue for the mammoth Rotary International 2016, an event expected to attract 56,000 participants, including 29,000 visitors from overseas, and to generate KRW 80 billion in direct consumption and KRW 140 billion in production.

Two months later, in August, KINTEX was selected to host GATECH 2014, one of three major international exhibition conventions, against competitors from the US and Brazil.

GASTECH 2014 will bring together over 15,000 people ranging from the ministers and vice-ministers of energy-related government ministries and agencies to directors and executives from global energy companies. It is expected to generate USD 6 billion and expenditures of KRW 100 billion among other economic benefits.

Becoming an International Exhibition Center

The opening of KINTEX’s second Exhibition Center has brought great changes to Korea’s domestic exhibition and convention industry.

With the rise of China and an increasingly competitive international market, KINTEX’s emergence as an international exhibition center with over 100,000 m² of exhibition space and abundant experience in hosting some of the world’s largest conventions is extraordinary.

With the nation’s largest conference space (13,303㎡), office building (14 stories, 21,474㎡) and parking for 4,260 vehicles, KINTEX can host exhibitions and conventions, and accommodate all other business requirements to become the basis of a growing exhibition convention cluster.

A Gyeonggi Province official said, “KINTEX has accomplished extraordinary things since it opened its Second Exhibition Center. Every convention held there has been a smashing success. We hope to boost its capacity by making the best of its close proximity to Incheon International Airport.”

ⓒ G-News Plus News | Rohh Kyeong-hui |  khrohh@kg21.net

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