MAY/JUNE 2013


South Korea


Another venue with great appeal for post-conference tours is Jeju, the volcanic island that ranks as South Korea’s equivalent of Hawaii in terms of domestic tourism. Jeju’s lava tubes and craters mean it was voted one of the New7wonders of Nature in 2011. Fittingly, its International Convention Centre, whose main hall holds 4,300, was the venue for the 2012 World Conservation Congress.


hour by air or three hours by train from Seoul, where the BEXCO venue is located. BEXCO last year hosted the Lions Clubs International Convention, no mean feat as it attracted 40,000 delegates. Expansion of BEXCO last year led the facility to be rated 15th in the world by the Union of International Associations. To its campus, which includes an art museum, was added a new auditorium, a second exhibition centre and 12 more meeting rooms, creating a total space of 160,000 sq m – as a comparison, Birmingham’s NEC offers 186,000 sq m. Daegu, South Korea’s fourth


city, found itself on the map following the 2011 World Athletics Championships, the precursor to the London Olympics. Daegu’s EXCO venue hosts the World Energy Congress in October, marking only the third time that the event has been held in Asia in its 90-year history. The staging of the congress follows a doubling of the event space in 2011. Daegu is surrounded by UNESCO World Heritage sites that date back 5,000 years, where Buddhist and Confucian history can perhaps bring inspiration to modern day gatherings of corporate thinkers.


SPORTING CHANCES In the near future, sport may help grow South Korea’s MICE business in a manner similar to that of the K-Pop phenomenon. A number of high- profile events take place in the next few years that will spotlight it and prompt the building of more venues. Next year’s Asian Games takes


place in Incheon. With more than US$1.5 billion being spent, the event will focus attention on the new city of Songdo, but this will be eclipsed by preparations for the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, which take place at Pyeongchang, a mountain resort that will be 70 minutes from Incheon on a new high-speed rail link. Pyeongchang already has a small convention centre, but it is a fair bet that usage of new buildings after the Olympics will see its offering expanded. Ahead of all this, however, comes another example of South Korean quirkiness. A Taekwondo Park in Muju opens its doors early in 2014. Although primarily a centre of excellence for South Korea’s most famous sport, it will also host corporate groups from around the world with conference facilities and a 5,000-capacity arena. Wellbeing and spiritual packages using the martial art and aimed at executives and corporate team building will be offered. n


Grand Hyatt Seoul


SEOUL Key MICE venues


COEX CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTRE Meeting spaces: 54 Max single capacity: 10,000


LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL Meeting spaces: 15 Max single capacity: 1,500


SHERATON GRAND WALKERHILL AND W SEOUL WALKERHILL Meeting spaces: 14 Max single capacity: 1,500


HOTEL SEOUL KYOYUK MUNHWA HOEKWAN Meeting spaces: 13 Max single capacity: 1,500


GRAND HYATT SEOUL Meeting spaces: 19 Max single capacity: 1,200


GRAND HILTON SEOUL Meeting spaces: 12 Max single capacity: 1,200


INTERCONTINENTAL SEOUL COEX Meeting spaces: 11 Max single capacity: 1,000


JW MARRIOTT SEOUL Meeting spaces: 8 Max single capacity: 1,000


MILLENNIUM SEOUL HILTON Meeting spaces: 6 Max single capacity: 850


OLYMPIC PARKTEL Meeting spaces: 15 Max single capacity: 700


104


GRAND AMBASSADOR SEOUL Meeting spaces: 6 Max single capacity: 700


SEOUL PALACE HOTEL Meeting spaces: 11 Max single capacity: 600


Busan, South Korea’s second city and home to BEXCO


NOVOTEL AMBASSADOR DOKSAN Meeting spaces: 5 Max single capacity: 500


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