Korea has often been a neglected destination when it comes to organising medium and large-scale regional corporate events.
The country still suffers from certain outdated perceptions that it is prohibitively expensive or that there is a widespread language barrier.
Slowly these misconceptions are being challenged and with South Korean brands, such as Samsung, LG, Daewoo and Hyundai, now household names, interest in the country among the international business community is high.
The arrival of another world-class facility onto the scene in 2005, Kintex (Korea International Exhibition Centre), gave yet another reason to put the country on meeting planners’ must-visit list.
Kintex is situated on the outskirts of the capital Seoul, in Goyang city in the country’s most populous province of Gyeonggi.
The Korean government is keen to turn Seoul and its surrounding provinces into one of the key logistics hubs of North Asia, utilising the easy links to the major seaport and international airport at Incheon. The area is also home to manufacturing and research centres for key Korean manufacturing and technology firms.
The push from public and private sectors is to ensure that Korean business is geared toward meeting the growing competition from other rapidly developing Asian economies, such as China and Vietnam. It is also to take advantage of Korea’s geographical location as a crossroads between its giant neighbours China, Russia and Japan.
Kintex is very much part of this vision. It is already the largest single convention and exhibition complex not only in the country but in the whole of North Asia.
Government support and investment to achieve this ambition is reflected in the ownership of Kintex, which is divided between the city government of Goyang, the provincial government of Gyeonggi and the Korean national trade and investment board KOTRA.
The building’s first floor is devoted to exhibition space with the conference and meeting facilities on the second and third floors. Aside from a Grand Ballroom that can hold 2,000 delegates there are also 22 other meeting spaces of various sizes.
In his New Year message, Kintex chief executive Kim In-Shik said: “Although Korea lacks significant natural resources, we have achieved exports of US$320 billion last year, proving our prowess as a world-class trading nation.”
Kim set out his ambition for Kintex to “become one of the global leaders in the exhibition and convention industry”.
As well as raising brand awareness, Kim stressed the importance of pushing ahead with the second phase of Kintex’s three-stage expansion plan that will be completed by 2013.
The next stages will see the building of a hotel, shopping and retail outlets, as well as a trade and cultural complex. N
KINTEX FACT
How to get there
From Incheon International Airport, car and taxi transfer to Kintex is about one hour, for airport limousine bus about 77 minutes, from central Seoul about one hour nearby tours
Type: Historic
Place: Haengju Fortress
Journey time from Kintex: 30 minutes by bus or car
www.lifeinkorea.com/Travel2/kyonggi/119
The Haengju Fortress in the Han River valley in Goyang is the site of a famous battle in 1592 against Japanese invaders. The name Haengju Fortress comes from the story that the stones to build it were carried by women in their aprons (haengjuchima). Only the castle’s front gate remains. You can climb up Dukyang Mountain, overlooking the valley, to the Dukyang pavilion at the top.
Type: Contemporary
Place: Demilitarised Zone (DMZ)
Journey time from Kintex: 30 minutes by bus or car
www.dmzpaju.com
Set on the dividing line between North and South Korea and established after the Korean War of 1950-53, the DMZ allows visitors a fascinating yet tragic
insight into the division of the
country. Facilities include an observatory platform, where groups can catch a glimpse of North Korean territory.
Contact
Phil Chung
International sales and marketing
co-ordinator
Tel: +82 31 810 8074
