Gyeonggi gains momentum in attracting international conferences
(Published March 12, 2012)

Gyeonggi secures 6 major international conferences in 2012 including International Classic Motor Show

◇ The Gyeonggi Tourism Corporation attracted major international conferences to the Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX) in Ilsan including the International Classic Motor Show scheduled for July, the Herbalife and Unicity corporate conferences in May and October, respectively, the conference of the Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in August, and two nonwoven fabric conferences including the Asia Nonwovens Exhibition & Conference and the Conference of International Nonwovens Industry Representatives scheduled for June.

Herbalife corporate meeting attendants visit KINTEX in September 2011 ⓒ G-News Plus

Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Tourism Corporation have succeeded in attracting six major international conferences in 2012.

The Gyeonggi Tourism Corporation announced on March 12 that it had attracted a number of major international conferences to  the Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX) in Ilsan including the International Classic Motor Show scheduled for July, the Herbalife and Unicity corporate conferences in May and October, respectively, the conference of the Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in August, and two nonwoven fabric conferences including the Asia Nonwovens Exhibition & Conference and the Conference of International Nonwovens Industry Representatives in June.

The Asia Nonwovens Exhibition and Conference in June will be attended by 600 people from 70 countries. The conference of representatives of the International Nonwovens Industry will be attended by 220 people from 30 countries. The International Classic Motor Show will be attended by more than 250,000 people.

The massive corporate event of Herbalife, a multinational nutrition and weight management company, will be attended by 12,000 people including about 3,000 foreigners. The event will be the company’s third event held in Korea following the events in 2009 and 2011.

The conference of Unicity International, an international health food supplier, will be attended by 5,000 people including 2,000 foreigners.

An official of the Gyeonggi Convention Bureau in the Gyeonggi Tourism Corporation said, “We are currently working with the KINTEX Marketing Team to attract the International College Students’ Mock U.N. Conference slated for March 2013. The conference is expected draw 2,200 participants from 80 countries.” He continued, “We are doing our best to attract as many large conventions and events to Gyeonggi Province as possible.”

With the opening of the 2^nd phase expansion of the exhibition center in Goyang City in September last year, KINTEX is now equipped with international exhibition and convention facilities that are three times larger than those of COEX in southern Seoul. Against such a backdrop, Gyeonggi Province is accelerating the development of MICE industry in the region.

KINTEX is now emerging as a comprehensive convention center that can accommodate large international conventions and events. Gyeonggi Province and KINTEX expect to attract more mega-scale international conventions.

The MICE industry includes corporate meetings, incentive tours, conventions, events and exhibitions. It is a high-value-added industry of the future that helps invigorate the regional economy, create jobs and improve the brand image of the region in which events are held.

In the meantime, the government has selected the MICE industry as one of Korea’s 17 new growth industries.

In line with this, Gyeonggi Province established the Gyeonggi Convention Bureau in the Gyeonggi Tourism Corporation in July of 2011 to promote the development of the industry in the region.

In January this year, Gyeonggi enacted the Gyeonggi MICE Industry Development Ordinance and consequently established the Gyeonggi MICE Promotion Council as a policy-supporting organization in the provincial development of the industry.

ⓒG-News Plus / Nam Gyeung-woo/ namgw2011@gmail.com

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