Jeonnam Province Expands Designation of 23 Unique MICE Venues

Six New Venues Including Dambit Art Warehouse Added
Customized Support for Facility Improvements to Boost Competitiveness

Interior view of Damyang Dambit Art Warehouse, recently selected as a new unique venue by Jeonnam Province. Provided by Jeonnam Province

Jeollanam-do has newly designated six unique venues, including Gwangyang Inseori Park, Damyang Dambit Art Warehouse, and Goheung Nampo Museum of Art, expanding the number of Jeollanam-do’s representative MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions) destinations to 23.

Jeollanam-do Unique Venues are spaces and facilities that represent the region’s charm and distinctiveness, offer memorable and unique experiences, and are suitable for hosting MICE events.

Since 2023, Jeollanam-do and the Jeollanam-do Tourism Foundation have designated 20 venues (currently 17 in operation), including Mokpo Gourmet Culture Gallery Haegwan1897, Yeosu Yeulmaru, Naju 3917Majung, and Gurye Ssangsanjae, to enhance competitiveness in attracting and hosting MICE events and to increase facility utilization.

This year, out of 30 venues recommended by cities and counties through a public contest held since February, 23 were selected after a document and on-site evaluation by MICE experts.

The newly selected Jeollanam-do Unique Venues are: Dambit Art Warehouse, Aqua Planet Yeosu, Inseori Park, Nampo Museum of Art, Jangseong Gyeongigung Hanok Stay & Camping Caravan, and Gurye Banyawon Platanus.

Dambit Art Warehouse is a complex cultural space reborn from an old grain storage warehouse that had long lost its function, through cultural regeneration of industrial heritage. It is gaining attention as an exhibition and meeting space that preserves its high ceilings and the red brick walls of the 1970s.

Aqua Planet Yeosu is the second largest aquarium facility in Korea, home to over 350 rare species including beluga whales from both Korea and abroad. It offers a differentiated meeting space compared to conventional hotels or convention centers.

Inseori Park consists of 14 renovated spaces of various sizes, transformed through an urban regeneration program into cafes, galleries, and hanok stays. It is a complex cultural space with a warm and relaxed atmosphere, much like a park.

Nampo Museum of Art is a complex cultural venue created from a closed school, equipped with three exhibition halls, a performance hall, and creative classrooms. Alongside the museum, Hadamjeong, Jeollanam-do's 10th private garden, featuring over 90 species of trees and 200 species of herbaceous plants, has been established.

Gyeongigung Hanok Stay & Camping Caravan is a vast hanok experience facility covering 6,000 pyeong, built over a long period by a hanok master using traditional architectural methods. It offers a space to relax and unwind amidst a cypress forest.

Banyawon Platanus, Jeollanam-do's 21st private garden, features a walking trail lined with 70-year-old plane trees and a beautiful garden, with cafe and gallery facilities that can be used as meeting or training venues.

Jeollanam-do plans to grant a two-year qualification to the selected unique venues, provide certification plaques, support promotional marketing, offer additional MICE incentives, strengthen the capabilities of stakeholders, and provide expert consulting, among various other support measures.