Kota Kinabalu: Attendees at the recent “BE in Sabah” forum were urged to study South Korea’s Goyang City and its Gyeonggi Province for meaningful lessons as a leading region for MICE, combining industrial expertise with scenic beauty and cultural attractions.
Goyang is home to Kintex, South Korea’s largest exhibition venue spanning over 100,000 square metres, making it ideal for mega-events such as the 15,000-strong Usana Health Science conference in the past with its commitment to sustainable events is evident in making further subsidies available to events falling within the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) categories.
Managing Director General of the Goyang Convention & Visitors Bureau (GoyangCVB) Peter Lee shared his experience in growing South Korea’s MICE industry at Goyang City. Back in 2020, the centre announced plans to open a third exhibition hall by 2024.
“Our Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism designated seven Global Convention Complexes around the country, and Goyang is one of them.
“To qualify for this status, cities must have a mega convention facility, entertainment and shopping facilities, and accommodation supply. Goyang has all of these, all integrated across two million square metres of land.
“Another key industry for Goyang is the drone industry. We have an aviation university here, which has a huge UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) training centre close by.
(We are supporting) the country’s plan to launch passenger UAV (drone taxis) in the near future.
“While these modern industry developments are underway, Goyang’s flower or horticulture industry remains huge. More than 10 per cent of South Korea’s flower industry is located here in Goyang.
“Goyang has chosen to pursue the intellectual capital route and is establishing mega complexes for related businesses. The city is keen to grow its medical, digital technology and content-related industries.
He said the Government’s investment in growing the broadcasting and media industry is paying off as many broadcasting systems and film studios have moved to Goyang.
“You could chance upon a movie or drama being filmed as you walk down our streets.”
Besides, the medical industry is also developing fine. Goyang is home to six general hospitals and a national cancer centre.
Another area around Kintex is the free-trade zone to attract and host international companies and Goyang gets an intellectual capital boost and stronger power to attract international meetings, Lee said.
“I believe that a successful business events destination must engage its own community. International events that are hosted in the city must benefit the people living there.
“As the CVB, we have two campaigns (slogans) – Asia’s Leading MICE Destination and Sustainable Capital of Korea – that reflect our vision for Goyang.
“When I started as Managing Director with the CVB in late-2016, I signed Goyang up for the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDSI), which is a benchmark for sustainability strategies in business events and business travel.
“GDSI evaluates each city’s sustainability achievements through four pillars – Environmental, Social, Supplier and Destination Management performance. We had to complete more than 50 questionnaires and back our responses with proof; it was tough,” he said.
