Kenny Coyle reports from the November 2024 Korean MICE Expo.
Korean MICE industry leaders are promoting a twin-track strategy to push the country into the first ranks of global events destinations while simultaneously building a regional alliance with East Asian neighbours China and Japan.
Speaking at the conclusion of the 25th edition of Korean MICE Expo (KME), held in November 2024 at Songdo Convensia in Incheon, Korea MICE Association (KMA) chairman Danny Hyundae Shin said that the event’s theme ‘Much, More, MICE’ represented the Korean “representative convergence” perspective, namely that the MICE sector had to offer more than alliances between hotels and purpose-built venues, but had also to integrate all kinds of subsidiary services more effectively. These include regional tourism bodies, convention centres, PCOs and PEOs, unique venues, hotels, travel agencies, IT companies, local governments and tourism boards.
This strategy was being followed successfully both at a national level as well as by provincial and city convention bureaus, Shin said, as well as among the KMA’s 260 or so members.
Shin was speaking at the conclusion of November’s KME2024, which was an event co-organised by the KMA and the Incheon Tourism Organisation (ITO), with support from the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), Incheon Metropolitan City and the Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO).
The KMA chairman pointed to the large number of MICE industry bodies supporting KME2024, which ran or co-hosted discussion sessions, including the Korean Association of Professional Convention Organisers; Korea Tourism Policy Research Association (TOPA); Korea MICE Tourism Society (KMTS); Society of Business Events and Conventions (SBEC); Korea Association of Trade Exhibition Studies (KATE); MICE Tech Alliance (MITA); and the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA).
This year’s event drew around 300 vendors representing 18 Korean destinations, hotels and resorts, venues and ancillary suppliers, with more than 400 exhibition booths. KME2024 also attracted over 130 domestic and international hosted buyers from 31 countries. Organisers estimated that more than 3,000 MICE professionals participated in one form or another and around 4,000 business meetings were held.
One significant initiative was the inauguration of the Korea-China-Japan MICE Forum, which brought together representatives of the major MICE associations from the three countries. Shin hopes this will become a regular part of the yearly MICE calendar.
Speakers from the three countries outlined the benefits of closer co-operation at one of KME’s sessions, where each representative outlined the advantages of their home destination and aimed to encourage greater collaboration in the East Asia region.
The ubiquitous popularity of Korea’s ‘Hallyu’ cultural wave was cited by Eunjoo Yoon, vice-president of the Korea MICE Association, as a unique factor in driving interest among overseas groups for incentive and meetings business for the country.
Minjoo Jung, assistant manager of the MICE planning and management team at the KTO said that the agency was expanding its reach into source markets beyond its traditional Asia Pacific, European and US mainstays. “The KTO has newly opened a branch office in Mexico City, our first in Latin America. During KME2024, we even met with a buyer from Tanzania who mentioned how popular Korean culture has become in Tanzania and other African countries, so we have considerable potential to develop fresh markets,” she said.
After nine years at Songdo, KME2025 will move to COEX in Seoul on 4-5 November 2025
