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The 48th International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Congress and Exhibition, held in Florence, Italy from November 7 to 11 was attended by 996 industry experts, setting a new record for the number of attendees at the event. Over 30 representatives from Korea attended this year's ICCA Congress, an event aimed at providing an opportunity for education and networking for convention industry members from around the world.
Participating for the second year, Seoul Convention Bureau (SCB) carried out a variety of marketing activities to promote Seoul as a convention city. "Spot Me," ICCA's unique promotional tool, allows attendees to exchange text messages, check out each other's location, and view local maps, event program guides and other useful information. The device in effect acts like a personal communication device throughout the duration of the event.
To maximize the exposure of Seoul at the event, the SCB displayed a prominent advertisement on Spot Me and conducted a survey on Seoul titled "Seoul Quiz." The Quiz was conducted as a preliminary marketing initiative for the 2010 Korea MICE Expo as well as an opportunity to allow visitors to learn more about the charms of Seoul. Despite equipment glitches that plagued the Spot Me system on the first day of the event, the quiz program proved popular with over 200 attendees taking part. The winner was Ms. Loriaux of the Montreal Convention Center in Canada, who will receive a round-trip air ticket from Canada to Korea to allow her to attend the MICE Expo in 2010. With the average respondent rate of ordinary surveys being less than 50 according to ICCA representatives, the popularity of the Seoul survey reflects the high level of interest in the city among global convention industry insiders.
In addition to various promotional activities, team leader Maureen O'Crowley delivered a presentation on Seoul entitled "Out of Nowhere" to an enthusiastic crowd of over 100. With ICCA ranking Korea 9th in the world in 2008 among convention cities, Ms. O'Crowley expressed her ambition to achieve an even greater expansion of Korea's convention industry in the future through a variety of active support programs. Chairman Martin Sirk of ICCA stated that "Seoul's active participation in international events such as the ICCA Congress is a very positive development, and the city must continue to expand its global network in order to stand shoulder to shoulder with other major convention cities around the world."
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