In the not too distant past, South Korea’s Incheon region was mainly known to MICE visitors as a transit point, linking the country’s main international airport to the capital Seoul or to connecting flights heading to other major cities. However, this role has long been surpassed as a 20-year surge of urbanisation and land reclamation has transformed Incheon into a major corporate, academic, shipping, industrial and, almost inevitably, events hub.
Incheon is the third largest metropolitan district in South Korea after Seoul and Busan. Its three million inhabitants belong to the much larger Seoul Metropolitan (or Capital) Area but the district was specifically designated as Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) in 2003 and its subsequent economic and infrastructural transformation gathered pace.
One of its three components is Songdo, an area consisting mainly of reclaimed land, but which is now home to not only Korean corporate subsidiaries of Hyundai and Samsung, but also to a number of international university campuses, offering a ready market for event pitches to both business and academic-linked associations.
Won Yujin, MICE bureau manager, Incheon Tourism Organisation, points to the convention bureau’s slogan about Incheon being, ‘The Nearest Smart City in the World’, referring both to the region’s international accessibility (Songdo ConvensiA is just 25 minutes by road from Incheon Airport) as well as the ubiquitous use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) throughout the region.
South Korea’s pioneering role in ICT is reflected in the MICE industry too, from the use of AI software offering simultaneous transcriptions of speeches and presentations at Korea MICE EXPO 2024, to the increasing utilisation of AI applications in event planning and management.
Combining smartness with greenness, Songdo’s major buildings conform to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification programme. Songdo Convensia was the first convention centre in Asia to be given this award.
Won says: “Songdo is home to the first international conference complex in Korea. The Incheon Convention Complex Zone (ICCZ) has almost 1,800 rooms in seven [5-3star] hotels, with concert halls, international university, museums, retail outlets and other attractions nearby. The zone is also committed to low-carbon green growth policies.”
Incheon has hosted the past nine editions of Korean MICE Expo but the show will move on to Seoul’s COEX in 2025.
Nonetheless, in Won’s view, the past few years have allowed Incheon and Songdo in particular to showcase their potential to regional and global buyers, as well as provide a platform for Korean vendors to meet them. This she says has laid solid foundations for Incheon’s future events growth.
Photo: Songdo Convensia Exterior
