Mayor Lee Dong-hwan "Expecting multifaceted cooperation with Southeast Asian economic hub Penang including MICE"

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Expanding MICE Territory with PWCC Operation Contract
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Kintex in Goyang Special City, Gyeonggi Province, will officially enter the ASEAN market by taking over the operation rights of PWCC.

Lee Dong-hwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City, visited Penang, Malaysia on the 11th and attended the signing ceremony of the operation contract between KINTEX and the Penang Waterfront Convention Centre (PWCC), delivering a congratulatory speech. Provided by Goyang Special City

Goyang Special City announced on the 12th that Mayor Lee Dong-hwan of Goyang Special City visited Penang, Malaysia on the 11th and attended the signing ceremony of the operation contract for the Penang Waterfront Convention Centre (PWCC) with Kintex.

PWCC is a key facility of the 'The Light City' project, a waterfront complex jointly developed by Perennial Holdings Pvt. Ltd. of Singapore and IJM Corporation Berhad of Malaysia. It has a total area of approximately 31,000㎡, including about 9,000㎡ of exhibition and conference space, and aims to open in the third quarter of this year.

This contract was finalized as Perennial Holdings and IJM, the clients of PWCC, selected Kintex as the operating entity. At the signing ceremony, Mayor Lee Dong-hwan of Goyang personally signed the operation contract as a witness together with Chow Kon Yeow, Chief Minister of Penang, Malaysia. Malaysia follows the British system and requires an 'official witness' signature to enhance the credibility of major contracts.

At the signing ceremony, Mayor Lee Dong-hwan said, "Goyang is strengthening its position as a representative MICE city by attracting exhibitions and events linked to specialized strategic industries such as bio and content, based on Kintex, Korea's largest exhibition and convention center." He added, "I hope this occasion will serve as an opportunity to further solidify cooperation in various fields, including MICE, between Penang, the economic hub of Southeast Asia, and Goyang Special City."

Lee Dong-hwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City, is taking a commemorative photo after signing the PWCC operation contract. From the left: Tony Ling Tau Loong, CEO of IJM Land and Director of Perennial Development; Don Tan, Director of Perennial Holdings; Wong Hon Wai, Penang State Minister of Tourism and Economy; Chow Kon Yaw, Chief Minister of Penang; Lee Dong-hwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City; Lee Jae-yul, CEO of Kintex; Ashwin Gunasekeran, CEO of Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB); Connie Tan Sridharma, State Assembly Member. Provided by Goyang Special City.

Chow Kon Yeow, Chief Minister of Penang, responded, "Penang is rapidly growing as a center for Asian business events, with over 2,000 corporate events held last year and more than 300,000 visitors." He added, "This signing ceremony marks the beginning of cooperation between Penang and Goyang and will be the first step in propelling Penang into an international MICE city."

Tony Ling Thou Lung, CEO of IJM and Director of Perennial, said, "Kintex's abundant expertise and operational experience will be a great asset in establishing PWCC as a leading convention center." He continued, "PWCC is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities capable of accommodating up to 8,000 people, and with confirmed hosting of specialized exhibitions such as K-Beauty and Watertech Asia, it is expected to become a venue for various global exhibitions and exchanges."

Kintex will be responsible for the overall operation of PWCC for the next 10 years, including leasing, event planning, catering, facility management, and security. Kintex has already expanded its domestic and international exhibition and convention operation capabilities by acquiring the operation rights of the Yashobhoomi Exhibition Center in New Delhi, India. This entrusted operation of PWCC is expected to accelerate its entry into the global market.

At the event, Kintex and the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the development of the exhibition and convention industry. Both organizations plan to promote the growth of the MICE industry in Penang and Goyang through joint planning and marketing cooperation in the exhibition and convention sectors.

Mayor Lee Dong-hwan of Goyang Special City is taking a commemorative photo with Satnam Kaur, Executive Director of Digital Penang, on the 11th. Provided by Goyang Special City

Earlier, Mayor Lee Dong-hwan visited Digital Penang, a project company linked to the Penang state government that leads startup cultivation, creative industry promotion, and digital ecosystem creation in Penang.

Mayor Lee held a meeting with Satnam Kaur, Executive Director of Digital Penang, sharing the status of the Goyang Free Economic Zone project and digital-based innovation strategies, and discussed exchange and cooperation plans in digital transformation and smart city fields.

Meanwhile, Kintex, which operates PWCC, recorded total sales of 95 billion KRW and a net profit of 21.6 billion KRW last year, achieving its best performance since its establishment and strengthening its position as a global exhibition operator.