Advertisement feature
A s a number of industries around the world have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic , the idea of resilience , which is the ability to flexibly respond to risks , has been gaining traction . Gyeonggi , a donut-shaped province that consists of 31 cities and has Seoul at its centre , is one of Asia ’ s second-tier MICE destinations and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organisation ( GTO ) MICE Team , responsible for international conferences and incentives in Gyeonggi Province , has accomplished a feat during the pandemic with its resilience using its strengths of rich resources and partnership .
Early this year , GTO launched the new campaign “ Don ’ t Choose , Do Both ” to expand the range of its support programme from originally only supporting on-site events to hybrid and online events . As a result , the number of international conferences held in Gyeonggi increased by 200 % compared to last year . Also , the “ Veterinary Conference of 3 East-Asian Countries ” and the “ 96th Annual Congress of Korean Society of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery ”, two large convention meetings with over 2,000 participants each , were confirmed to take place in Gyeonggi . Hosting these events will accelerate the recovery and revitalise Gyeonggi ’ s MICE industry .
KINTEX , Korea ’ s largest convention centre and a steady and strong partner of the GTO , has received the 2021 ICCA Best Marketing Recognition Award in recognition of its comprehensive and innovative framework created during the pandemic to reopen the venue . Furthermore , KINTEX is preparing to open the 3rd Exhibition Centre by 2025 , which will bring the total exhibition area to 178,000sqm and relaunch itself as the sixth-largest general exhibition market in Asia and the world ’ s 25th . With urban development projects around the venue , creating industrial complexes for technology and broadcasting video , KINTEX is on its way to building a new Gyeonggi MICE legacy as an international business platform .
Suwon Convention Centre is a major MICE venue of the south Gyeonggi area and has become a new landmark of Gyeonggi ’ s MICE industry with significant international events and conferences taking place at the centre . Chain-brand hotels , a department store , tour attractions , and other facilities that are related to MICE events were built around the convention centre recently , with a goal to create the
“ Suwon MICE Complex ” to serve as a one-stop destination . Also , Suwon City has accelerated its efforts to establish a smart tourism environment in preparation for a returning demand for travel in the post-Covid era .
To develop hidden gems besides two major convention centres in Gyeonggi , the GTO MICE Team has conducted the ‘ Unique Venue Competition Project ’. This initiative is designed to create a more stable MICE ecosystem in Gyeonggi and strengthen the partnership between the local community and the MICE Alliance to prepare for possible risks in the future .
Aside from accessibility , infrastructure , and a unique vibe , two new evaluation criteria , Green MICE ( environment ) and Local Coexistence ( social ), areas that the GTO has been placing a great emphasis on , were reviewed as well . The selected 17 unique venues are to play key roles in overcoming the risks of the pandemic by attracting conferences of varying scale and size and GTO will create promotional content for these 17 unique venues to roll out promotional activities on an unprecedented scale to share the “ Gyeonggi Unique Venue ” brand to the MICE industry around the globe .
What the GTO aims for is not a onetime recovery from the crisis , but creating new capabilities to change and adapt to a continuously changing environment . GTO is moving closer to realising the goal with 123 members of the Gyeonggi MICE Alliance ( GMA ).
Various programmes and measures organised by Gyeonggi and GMA partners , including expanding support for hybrid events , additional advantages for Green MICE Events , and expanding and promoting the local MICE infrastructure , will provide more conference and event hosts with the opportunity to create a legacy in Gyeonggi . As the post-Covid era is just around the corner , there are great hopes of seeing more MICE visitors in Gyeonggi , a resilient business event platform .
Don ’ t choose , do both in resilient Gyeonggi , Korea
ISSUE 115 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 55