Busan City Achieves National Industry Award This Year as a 'Leading City in the MICE Industry'

April 18, 2024 National Industry Awards Industrial Brand Public Sector

Large-scale International Event ... City-Related Organizations-Industry One Team Achievement

On the 18th, Busan City was selected as a ‘Leading MICE Industry City’ in the Industrial Brand (Public) category at the 2024 National Industry Awards ‘7th National Industry Awards’.

Busan City Hall

Hosted by the Industrial Policy Studies Institute (IPS), the ‘National Industry Awards’ were established to recognize companies, institutions, and brands that have significantly contributed to national industrial development by enhancing competitiveness through excellent management capabilities and differentiated products (services).

MICE stands for Meetings, Incentive tours, Conventions, and Exhibitions & Events, derived from the first letters of these English terms.

Through this selection, the city has once again proven its global influence as a leading MICE city.

So far, to revitalize the local MICE industry, which had been stagnant due to COVID-19, Busan uniquely formed a one-team collaboration among MICE-related organizations and industries within domestic local governments to promote MICE attraction and marketing.

As a result, the city successfully attracted large-scale international events such as the 5th Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee of the 2024 UN Plastic Treaty (3,000 participants from 170 countries), the 2024 Singapore Herbalife Incentive Tour Group (3,000 participants from 13 countries), the 2025 World Anti-Doping Agency General Assembly (3,000 participants from 191 countries), the 2026 World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Congress (1,400 participants from 40 countries), and the 2027 International Statistical Institute World Statistics Congress (3,000 participants from 111 countries).

Notably, the incentive meetings, which had been suspended due to COVID-19 last year, have resumed.

Thanks to the city’s proactive marketing, the Singapore Herbalife Incentive Tour Group (3,000 participants) will be held in Busan this October.

This is the largest single incentive tour event since the 2016 China Weina Incentive Tour Group (2,000 participants).

Additionally, since Busan was designated as the Haeundae International Conference Complex District in 2020, the city has been building the brand HAEVENUE as a ‘MICE City Busan’ by utilizing international conference spaces, establishing infrastructure, fostering an industrial ecosystem, and supporting international conference cluster facilities.

Last year, Busan secured the largest budget among the seven local governments designated as international conference complex districts.

The ‘MICE Festival,’ Busan’s representative MICE festival, gathers not only the MICE industry but also related universities and citizens to explore the development direction of the MICE industry and establish a cooperative system among members. This year marks its 13th edition, which will feature even richer and more diverse programs to promote the expansion of the MICE industry base.

BEXCO, Busan’s representative MICE facility, showed a recovery trend in the number of events held after the endemic phase of infectious diseases, with 102 exhibitions, 784 meetings, and 169 events held last year. This year, the city and Busan Tourism Organization (Convention Bureau) are collaborating to host major international events such as the World Geological Congress and the 5th Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee of the Plastic Treaty, as well as to attract large-scale international conferences.

Furthermore, the city is strengthening the foundation and growth momentum of the MICE industry by constructing the 3rd exhibition hall at BEXCO, establishing an integrated platform for exhibition facilities, and advancing the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.

In 2024, Busan plans to implement differentiated strategies through diversifying MICE attraction, hosting familiarization tours for MICE decision-makers, and attracting and exhibiting medium to large-scale high-quality international conferences, corporate meetings, and incentive tours.

To foster network cooperation with associations and academic societies based in the metropolitan area, Busan Tourism Organization, BEXCO, and local hotels jointly held the ‘Meet Busan in Seoul’ event in February.

Additionally, reflecting recent international trends and customer demands for unique experiences in special locations, Busan has identified and designated 23 Busan Unique Venues and is promoting them alongside 5 Korea Unique Venues as attractive venues for small to medium-sized events, drawing significant attention from clients.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun stated, “I am very pleased that Busan, a global hub city with the world’s most beautiful beaches and tourist destinations, has been recognized as a ‘Leading MICE Industry City.’ As the high value-added MICE industry is a key driver for the qualitative growth of Busan tourism, our city will continue to invest and support without hesitation.”