-- The Korea World Trade Center in Samseong-dong will be developed into an Asian MICE business hub
-- A new MICE business platform will invigorate Korea’s service industry
-- The cultural and arts center is expected to attract 70 million visitors annually, including 3 million foreign tourists
SEOUL, South Korea, March 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The C-Festival Organizing Committee (Chairman: Kim In-Ho, Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association) [1] will hold the 2015 C-Festival (http://c-festival.com/) from April 30 to May 10, 2015, at the Korea World Trade Center in Samseong-dong, Seoul. This 11-day festival is a performing arts event that integrates culture, art, and technology.
The 11-day 2015 Korea C-Festival will take place at the Korea World Trade Center from April 30 to May 10
The goal of the C-Festival is to nurture the MICE cluster formed by 13 companies at the Korea World Trade Center in Samseong-dong into a MICE [2] business hub for Korea and Asia. The event aims to become "the world's only global MICE business convergence festival."
The festival will be held at the Korea World Trade Center (including COEX) from April 30 to May 10. The C-Festival will feature a diverse range of activities, including exhibitions and conferences highlighting new concepts in culture, art, and technology. The cultural exchange exhibition will primarily showcase content from Korea, China, Japan, and Russia. Concurrent events include a cultural technology exhibition, art collaboration exhibition, major international medical conference, AFECA (Asia Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations), MICE forum, K-pop performances that lead Korean Wave trends, and other activities (such as K-pop dance performances and media art).
In addition, the K-pop idol dance group EXO under SM Entertainment will join the MICE Cluster at the Korea World Trade Center. The group has been selected as the ambassador of the C-Festival and will promote the festival and Korean pop culture globally.
The MICE Cluster (C-Festival Organizing Committee) plans to hold the festival annually starting with the first edition in 2015. This will solidify the Korea World Trade Center’s position as a leader in Asia’s MICE industry while attracting buyers and tourists with differentiated content that combines culture, art, and technology. The Korea World Trade Center and its surrounding areas aim to establish the C-Festival as Korea’s MICE-focused “Edinburgh Festival,” boosting the national brand through the activation of the domestic economy and service industry.
Byun Bo-Kyung, Chairman of the MICE Cluster (CEO of COEX), said: “In May 2015, we will successfully host the C-Festival, and the number of foreign buyers visiting the Korea World Trade Center is expected to rise from the current 1.31 million to 3 million by 2017. We anticipate that the Korea World Trade Center in Samseong-dong and its surrounding areas will become a must-visit cultural tourism destination for foreign tourists. The C-Festival will become Korea’s Edinburgh Festival.”
The MICE industry is a newly emerging growth engine of global interest, as it encompasses sectors such as tourism, trade, culture, and hospitality. On December 18, 2014, Seoul City designated the Korea World Trade Center as the “Gangnam MICE Special Tourism Zone” to revitalize Seoul’s tourism and MICE industries. COEX and Seoul City are also collaborating to promote the development of MICE and tourism, which are Seoul’s next-generation strategic industries.
[1] Composed of CEOs from private and publicly listed companies at the Korea World Trade Center (KITA, COEX, COEX Mall, CALT, GKL, Megabox, Seoul Aquarium, Ourhome, SM Entertainment, Grand Intercontinental Seoul Parnas, Han Moo Shopping, Han Moo Convention, and Lotte Duty Free)
[2] MICE stands for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions, referring to an industry that combines international conferences, exhibitions, and tourism.
Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20150309/8521501460