City focus
EW investigates how
South Korea’s southern
port powerhouse is
layering the country’s
leading technology,
sectoral strengths and
new venue capacity to
strengthen its place as
a key Asian trade and
exhibition hub
ogue, vogue… South
Korea’s second city,
Busan, centre of the
country’s film industry
and key port, is increasingly
leveraging its sectoral strengths to
power its exhibition and events
destination credentials.
A vibrant port city with a 3.5m
population, Busan offers an attractive
location, extensive exhibition
infrastructure and accessibility. It is
also one of the safest destinations in
Asia.
South Korea’s technology prowess
is showcased with high-speed internet
connectivity at the majority of venue
facilities. Add to that attractive
mix a modern transport network,
international standard hotels and
numerous tourist attractions, from
beaches and luxury shopping malls to
traditional temples and heritage sites.
If a destination is dealt its
geographical position, then
government support is not always
a given. The City of Busan clearly
appreciates the power of events and,
in March 2018, announced the ‘Busan
Metropolitan City MICE Industry
Comprehensive Promotion Plan’. It
says the plan can help the city “take
the next leap forward and truly
become a MICE hub city of Asia”.
The MICE industry has been
designated as one of Busan’s five key
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk
Big
in
Busan
strategic industries and there are
several projects underway in the city,
which it is hoped, will help entice
more exhibition organisers. They
include plans to open more than 10
hotels over the next four years and
a colossal redevelopment of Busan’s
port, which is expected to be complete
by 2020 at the cost of KRW14.7
trillion*.
There is also a KRW 4.1 trillion
expansion programme for Gimhae
International Airport which should be
able to accept 40m passengers every
year by 2026 and connect Busan with
over 100 cities around the world.
*At rate of US$1= 1,118 won
“Busan offers an
attractive location,
extensive exhibition
infrastructure and
accessibility”
BEXCO
The Busan Exhibition Center
(BEXCO) is Korea’s second largest
convention facility offering
90,000sqm of exhibition space.
BEXCO has successfully held
numerous important large
exhibitions and in 2018 conducted
an aggressive marketing campaign
both at home and abroad to promote
its expansion as a MICE platform.
It has placed an emphasis on
promising key industries and
new technologies and BEXCO is
developing its Drone Show Korea,
and Smart Airport Show Korea, an
exhibition that spotlights various
smart technologies for airport-related
industries.
BEXCO’s plans include
striving to transform itself into a
‘smart’ exhibition and convention
centre and the venue has also
installed an advanced smart security
system to make its exhibition
Issue 1 2019
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