What is your new role at Korea Tourism Organization (KTO)?
I am the international marketing manager for Korea Convention Bureau MICE team. My role is to work with the convention team to put Korea on the radar of corporate planners and buyers so they will consider holding their next MICE event in South Korea.

What is your background?
I am from the US, but was born and raised in South Korea until the age of 12. I returned to Korea in 2002. Sure, being bilingual helps tremendously in getting business done with less communication errors.

More importantly though, knowing and living the culture adds value in understanding the mindset and varying cultural nuances that are made complex by language and how we get that “meaning” across cross-culturally in our marketing. It’s all about developing a package to will appeal to potential MICE clients in western countries.

What are your main challenges?
The MICE market in Asia is extremely competitive and heavily influenced by fringe benefits and price. We are also competing with new emerging contenders such as China, which is backed by its government.

What initiatives does KTO have to attract MICE business to Korea?
The Visit Korea 2010 to 2012 campaign will blend nicely with the MICE Global Campaign and Korea Mice Alliance initiative. These programmes are all about providing ‘added value’ and an enhanced delegate experiences for MICE visitors.