Seoul MICE Alliance Grows to 299 Members Strong

Boosting the uniqueness of Seoul’s MICE offerings, venues created by recent urban regeneration efforts join the industry alliance.

The Seoul MICE Alliance (SMA) gained 39 new members this August, bringing the public-private coalition representing Seoul’s MICE industry to a total of 299.  

Notably, several unique venues created by the city’s recent urban regeneration efforts joined the industry alliance this year. New members include Seoul’s Oil Tank Culture Park, what was once an emergency oil reserve built in the late 1970s after the 1973 oil crisis and transformed into a cultural event complex for meetings, art exhibitions, and performances. 

Other urban renewal venues among the newest SMA members include S factory, a trendsetting venue for creatives established in the walls of a former textile factory and multiple vehicle service centers, and Baesan, a former warehouse turned into an industrial-style, flexible space for product launches and smaller exhibitions. 

Recently opened hotels in Seoul such as Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotel & Residences and RYSE, a boutique offering from Marriott’s Autograph Collection, also joined the city’s MICE industry alliance. 

The Seoul MICE Alliance was established in 2011 as a public-private partnership between the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul Tourism Organization, and service providers across the MICE industry, including hotels, PCOs, transportation, travel agencies, and entertainment companies. 

Users of Seoul MICE Alliance members’ services can qualify for additional benefits from the Seoul Convention Bureau. If corporate meeting and incentive groups use three or more SMA members, international participants can receive Seoul MICE Cards – rechargeable transit card that can also be used at convenience stores and select shops – with a value of KRW 8,000.

Jin-Hyeok Park, director of the Seoul Convention Bureau, the MICE division of the Seoul Tourism Organization, explains that the Seoul MICE Alliance “is expanding to represent the diversity of the city’s MICE offerings” and “strengthening the competitiveness of Seoul’s MICE industry.” 

Major events to be held in Seoul MICE Alliance members’ facilities include the 38th Congress of the Société Internationale D’Urologie with 2,500 participants at Seoul Dragon City and the 22nd World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) World Conference with 5,000 participants at Coex Convention & Exhibition Center.

SMA members not only provide discounts and other benefits for MICE event planners through the PLUS SEOUL Package, Seoul’s all-in-one brand of event support, they also conduct joint marketing and bidding activities through participation in media familiarization tours and international trade shows such as the upcoming IT&CMA in September and ITB Asia in October. 

39 New Seoul MICE Alliance Members in 2018

Hotels (2): Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotel & Residences, RYSE Autograph Collection

PCOs (5): The Plan, Medrang, fnMICE, Conexia, P.O.D. Communications

Travel Agencies (5): Grace Travel, DODO International, JACKWORLD, CREVEN, Holidaylink DMC 

Transportation (3): GroundK, Buxi, itrip

MICE Services (3): MICELAB, SH EDU, SFA Consulting  

Entertainment (5): Namsan Seoul Tower Hanbok Culture Experience Center, Mackiss Company (L’atelier), MUSICKING, Epic Theater (FIREMAN), MBC World

Shopping (1): Hyundai Department Store Duty Free 

Unique Venues (15): La Vie Douce, SKY31 Convention, EL TOWER, K-turtle, Hyundai Department Store Tradecenter Branch Rooftop, Sky Kingdom, Top Cloud 52, International Seoncenter, Jinkwansa, Oil Tank Culture Park, Baesan Café, Seoul Upcycling Plaza, S factory, Seoul Innovation Center, National Museum of Korean Contemporary History.

To find out more about the Seoul MICE Alliance, visit http://miceseoul.com/sma.