SEOUL Ranked the fifth best city in the world by the Union of International Associations (UIA) for the number of meetings it hosted in 2010, Seoul looked to capitalise on its success at the annual Korea MICE Expo (KME) at Coex. The Expo, which concluded June 30, saw approximately 100 international buyers and 205 domestic buyers meeting with 175 exhibitors at Coex.
Former International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) president Pieter van der Hoeven praised the Expo and the future expansion of the city’s MICE capabilities. “With this kind of growth, Seoul will one day be number one in the world,” he said.
Hosting the Expo for the second year in a row, Seoul again saw attending numbers increase as the city anticipated even more impressive figures for the KME 2012. Guest speakers at the event included Dr Andy Nazarechuk, founding Dean of University of Nevada Las Vegas-Singapore and van der Hoeven.
Building on the success of last year’s G20 Seoul Summit, KME sought to showcase upcoming convention infrastructure with presentations of the new Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the Floating Island and the Korail Convention Center.
Visitors to the Expo were also treated to performances by a top Korean magician and the opera ensemble Operamica at the welcome dinner, as well as traditional Korean dancing.