seoul convetion bureau

△ 2021 SEOUL MICE ON & SMA Members’ Day

· Unveiled "Seoul's MICE mid-term development plan for 2023~2027"

· 17 tasks in 4 categories, opening the door to reach the milestone of 30 million foreign tourists 

· Focus on expanding the scope of MICE, like into international esports events

· Building more office spaces for MICE businesses to create sustainable industrial ecosystem

To keep pace with the pandemic-induced rapid changes of the MICE industry, and to solidify its position as the world's best MICE city, Seoul established "Seoul's MICE mid-term development plan for 2023~2027". Under the goal, "sustainable and smart MICE city", 17 key tasks under 4 categories will be implemented. The 4 categories are: building foundation for the future growth of smart MICE, developing an integrated MICE platform, creating sustainable and inclusive growth ecosystem and expanding global public-private governance.

According to the development plan, Seoul will build exhibition and convention centers around Jamsil Olympic Stadium, in the northern part of Seoul Station and in the Magok District through private development programs until 2030. This will expand Seoul's MICE infrastructure to become 3.5 times larger than its current scale (from 65,000㎡ to 230,000㎡). Seoul will also build 3 regional MICE cooperative complexes (clusters) in the southwest district (Magok), the urban district (Seoul Station, Namsan Mountain, Gwanghwamun Gate), and the southeast district (from Jamsil to COEX), where facilities and attractions will be concentrated including shopping, culture, transportation and tourism. The strategy is to revitalize the local economy by helping Seoul's MICE attendees to have various experiences and spend their money.

Also, the scope of MICE, which used to be confined to international conferences and exhibitions, will be expanded to attract and host international events such as esports competitions in Seoul. Seoul Festa, which was held in August 2022 in association with the world's largest electric motor racing, Formula E, will become an annual event held every May starting this year. The city will also endeavor to host other world class events. The focus will also be on attracting MICE in collaboration with Seoul's 10 representative industrial hubs including Yeouido (finance), Yangjae (AI), and Dongdaemun (beauty).

Seoul will also create a sustainable ecosystem for the MICE industry and train future talent. New office spaces will be built for MICE businesses at Jamsil Global Exchange Complex District, and a corporate incentive program will be introduced. "Seoul MICE Campus" will provide MICE education and classes catering to people with different career backgrounds from entry level employees to managers. 

As human network is a key asset in the MICE industry, Seoul MICE Alliance (SMA), comprised of more than 300 MICE companies, will revitalize the domestic network while Seoul enters strategic partnerships with expert agencies in major cities such as New York, Las Vegas, Singapore, etc. to expand the global network.

With "Seoul's MICE mid-term development plan" focusing on these tasks, the city is aiming to stimulate the economy and to boost the city’s competitiveness with the goal of attracting 30 million international visitors. Gyeong-ju Choi, Head of Tourism & Sports Department at Seoul City said, " the MICE industry, ‘the flower of the face-to-face industries’ confronted COVID-induced difficulties, but the industry has evolved with a hybrid system helping Seoul to take the second place as a global host city in 2021. By faithfully implementing the plan, we will support MICE’s growth into a key industry that drives regional innovation and industrial development while also keeping Seoul’s position on the global stage as a top-tier MICE city."

The Plan specifies “the cutting-edge smart MICE” plan, which is one of four pillars of the Tourism Revitalization Plan in Seoul 2022~2026 unveiled in September 2022 with the goal of attracting 30 million foreign tourists. The plan reflects feedback from Seoul’s MICE Industry Development Committee and other MICE professionals and incumbents.