Gyeonggi-do, Nationwide First to Support 'Small Meeting'...Expecting Activation of MICE Industry

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization are recruiting candidates for the 'Gyeonggi MICE Small Meeting Hosting Support Project' until November.

This targets a niche market amid the trend of avoiding large-scale meetings due to COVID-19, and is one of the policy tasks in the 'Gyeonggi Province MICE Industry Mid- to Long-term Development Comprehensive Plan' established last year.

Support for operating expenses is provided at 30,000 KRW per person, up to a maximum of 3 million KRW per event, for small meetings with 10 to 100 participants or even fewer than 10 participants if held regularly.

Eligible events include academic conferences, corporate or organizational training, lectures, and seminars, while events for religious or political purposes, social gatherings, and club activities are excluded.

The province sets conditions for venues, including 17 unique venues (regional distinctive meeting spots) such as the Paju Asia Publishing Culture & Information Center suitable for small meetings, and 37 alliance member facilities (public-private consultative bodies for MICE development) such as hotels and resorts, to promote the activation of these facilities simultaneously.

They also operate the 'Gyeonggi Small Meeting Help Desk,' a comprehensive information center providing all information related to small meetings in the province, including surveys and discovery of small to medium-sized meeting demands, building and managing a database of small to medium-sized meeting facilities, and recommending optimal venues for small meetings to organizers.

Details of the support project can be found on the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization website.

Choi Yong-hoon, Director of the Tourism Division of the province, said, "This is the first system implemented nationwide to revitalize various small-scale MICE events in the province," adding, "After COVID-19, event organizers prefer small-scale, multiple-event formats, and this is expected to overcome the limitations of the previous focus on medium to large-scale MICE and lead the recovery of the MICE industry."