Pohang City Strengthens Competitiveness in Attracting International Conferences... Taking Off as a MICE Hub City

Consulting Kickoff Meeting Held for Strengthening Competitiveness in Attracting International Conferences and Establishing Support System

Vice Mayor Jang Sangkil: "Efforts to Attract Large-Scale International Conferences to Lead Global Agendas"

On the 20th, Pohang City held a kick-off briefing session for the 'Consulting Service for Strengthening Competitiveness in Attracting International Conferences and Establishing a Support System' in the city hall's medium conference room.

On the 20th, Pohang City held a kickoff briefing session for the "Consulting Service for Strengthening Competitiveness in Attracting International Conferences and Establishing Support Systems" in the city hall's medium conference room.

The briefing was presided over by Pohang Deputy Mayor Jang Sangkil and attended by Professor Song Wanheup of POSTECH, Kim Byungki, Secretary-General of the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, Lee Bongsun, CEO of Reconvention, representatives from Max Planck Korea, as well as MICE industry experts and the consulting agency, totaling around 30 participants.

During this session, the city sought mid- to long-term development strategies for Pohang's MICE industry to vitalize the Pohang International Exhibition and Convention Center (POEX), including: ▲analysis of local MICE industry conditions and status ▲analysis of competitiveness in hosting and attracting international conferences ▲strategies to secure international conference attraction, among others.

Experts analyzed that Pohang, with its strong connections to universities and research institutes such as POSTECH, Handong University, the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics, Max Planck Korea/POSTECH Research Institute, Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, and the Korea Institute of Robot and Convergence, is well-positioned to attract various academic and international conferences.

In addition, Pohang, which not only leads in the steel industry but also hosts the nation's largest secondary battery industrial complex, is evaluated as having sufficient capacity to attract international conferences related to future industries such as batteries, bio, and hydrogen.

Starting with this consulting service, the city plans to secure a concrete list of international conferences to attract and establish tailored attraction strategies for each, making every effort to bring in large-scale international conferences.

The Pohang International Exhibition and Convention Center, which broke ground on July 18, will be built on the former US military Camp Reeve site in Jangseong-dong, Buk-gu, covering 26,608 square meters. The center will feature six floors (one basement and five above ground) with a total floor area of 63,818 square meters. Major facilities will include a 7,183-square-meter exhibition hall, a convention hall capable of accommodating over 2,000 people simultaneously, 11 medium and small conference rooms, citizen rest areas, and commercial and business facilities. It is scheduled for completion at the end of 2026 and is expected to become the core hub of the MICE industry and a landmark of Pohang.

Deputy Mayor Jang Sangkil stated, "We will actively foster the high value-added MICE industry centered around the Pohang International Exhibition and Convention Center, which began construction last month," adding, "Through this consulting service, we will attract large-scale international conferences that will lead the global agenda, bringing Pohang one step closer to becoming a global MICE hub city."