Seoul City Promotes Hybrid-Type Transition of MICE Industry On and Offline

Announcement of Comprehensive Plan for 'Seoul MICE Industry Development'... Vision of 'Hybrid MICE City', Promotion of 5 Major Projects
Up to 200 Million KRW Support for Technology Fees in Hybrid International Conferences, Free Access to 3D Virtual Meeting Platform

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Foundation are launching a comprehensive plan to transform the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) industry, which has been struggling due to COVID-19, into a 'hybrid' model combining online and offline formats.

On the 1st, Seoul announced the '2021 Seoul MICE Industry Development Plan' and five major projects, stating that under the vision of a 'Hybrid Business MICE City,' it will fully support safe and innovative MICE events while proactively establishing an environment optimized for the changed MICE market in the post-COVID era.

The five major projects include ▲support for hybrid international conferences using non-face-to-face advanced technology ▲selection and support of 34 exhibitions across five growth stages ▲support for quarantine and insurance for safe offline events ▲a New Normal MICE content development contest ▲and a global international conference organizer (PCO) training program.

First, up to 200 million KRW will be provided for online and offline events with more than 50 foreign participants to cover the costs of advanced technologies necessary for hosting hybrid international conferences, such as video conferencing equipment. Originally, support was only for offline events, but last year, due to the COVID-19 situation, it was expanded to include online events. For online conferences, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will open its 3D virtual conference platform, ‘Virtual Conference Seoul,’ free of charge, and will also provide up to 10 million KRW to cover additional operating costs.

Exhibitions and fairs will also accelerate their transition to hybrid and non-face-to-face formats. A total of 34 exhibitions will be selected across five growth stages, from planning to global-scale events, with up to 80 million KRW in support. Specialized consulting such as overseas marketing and IT technology consulting will be provided to help these exhibitions grow into international events comparable to CES. Similar to ‘Virtual Conference Seoul’ for non-face-to-face international conferences, an online platform for hosting non-face-to-face exhibitions and fairs will be developed jointly with the Korea Exhibition Organizers Association in the first half of the year and opened free of charge from the second half.

Furthermore, as ‘safety’ emerges as the top priority in venue selection, the ‘Seoul-type Safe MICE Model’ will provide tailored support for venues, participants, and organizers to spread the image of ‘Safe K-MICE.’ In April, the ‘Seoul-type New Normal MICE Content Development Contest’ will be held to proactively prepare for the changed MICE market after COVID-19 by encouraging the development of sustainable content and products. Ten companies will be selected and supported with up to 20 million KRW each.

Next, a new ‘Global International Conference Organizer (PCO) Training Project’ will be launched to cultivate hybrid MICE planners. Participants will be recruited from April to May, with the program running from June to November. In collaboration with the Korea PCO Association and international MICE organizations such as PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association) and ASAE (American Society of Association Executives), tailored training courses will be offered according to career levels, including production-type PCO training.

Joo Yong-tae, Director of the Seoul Tourism and Sports Bureau, said, “Seoul has been recognized as the ‘World’s 3rd Best International Conference City’ for five consecutive years and the ‘World’s Best MICE City’ for six consecutive years, making it a representative MICE city that attracts global attention and preference. In the post-COVID era, we will swiftly respond to the trend of the expanding MICE market combined with advanced technology, grow Seoul into a safe and innovative MICE city, and make it a growth engine that drives Seoul’s future competitiveness.”