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According to Yonhap News,
(BUSAN = Yonhap News) City of Busan prepared several strategies in order to strengthen its position in the competition to attract high value-added MICE [Meeting, Incentives, Convention and Events & Exhibition] industry.
The city announced on 11th that it set up “Busan MICE industry promotion initiatives”, which comprises the development of MICE industry-related infrastructure including the construction of the city air terminal and the MICE-tourism promotion center.
The initiative contains the five major strategies, which consist of establishing MICE infrastructure, exhibition, strengthening the MICE industry’s base, promotion of relevant businesses, and enhancement of global marketing power to nurture the industry.
Busan will enforce a local ordinance to develop the industry from January in 2014 to support the initiative.
The establishment of MICE infrastructure – Busan will set up “Busan MICE multi complex development & promotion initiative” to prepare for the parliamentary passage of the revised bill of international convention industry proposed in May and currently pending in the National Assembly.
The revised bill contains the definition of MICE multi complex, tax exemption items, legal grounds for financial support and designation requisite and procedure of the establishment of the complex. The content of the bill will be decided by the presidential decree.
In accordance with the revision of the bill, the city will establish “MICE multi complex development & promotion initiative” with the Busan Exhibition & Convention Center (BEXCO) as its main target. The initiative is also expected to include the plan to construct the city air terminal.
Busan also plans to change its district unit plan to allow the construction of the airport facilities in the BEXCO site. It will also hold talks with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Busan Regional Aviation Office to designate the site as airport facilities, and push ahead to attract airline companies.
As its medium-and long-term plan, the city also considers to include the redevelopment zone of Busan Yachting Center and North Port area in the MICE multi complex development plan.
In relation to the development of infrastructure of MICE industry, the city plans to construct additional facilities of the BEXCO including hotels, fashion malls, theme parks. The construction is to complete in the second half of 2014. The city also drew up a plan to build a tentatively named “Busan MICE & tourism promotion center.”
The center will assist attracting and opening procedure of the MICE and its visitors, and accommodate various meetings and training session between the MICE sponsor and Alliance.
Strategies to attract exhibitions – Busan pushed ahead to have its exhibitions including “Art Show Busan 2013” certified both domestically and internationally, and it will carry on its work for certifications of seven more prospective local and international exhibitions in 2014.
The city will also specialize “Busan MICE contents development contest”, which will be held for the fourth times in 2014, as the platform for discovering ideas for exhibitions and international conventions. If the prize winner is successfully commercialized, it will apply additional point in non-governmental exhibition contest and increase the supporting fund.
As a part of a new strategy of fostering exhibition industry, Busan will also nominate about five exhibitions three years and older and provide consultation services and assist them to be nominated as prospective exhibitions to receive the government support.
The city will concentrate its efforts to foster new local exhibitions.
“Busan International Boat Show” will be held in October 2014, and opening of other exhibitions such as airport management exhibition, harbor management exhibition and marine leisure sports show are also under consideration.
Fosterage of MICE-related businesses and professionals – Busan will dramatically increase its support to non-governmental exhibitions from 2014.
The city will allocate more than 50 percent of its fund for Professional Exhibition Organizer (PEO) to local PEOs specialized in exhibition services, and hold a local PEO contest this month and select its candidates before January next year.
Busan will also expand its support for the global marketing of local MICE businesses by supporting the market research expenditure. Local Professional Convention Organizer (PCO) will receive support of costs of holding new international conventions with more than 10 foreigners attending the session.
The city will support car rental and guide fees by holding contest in an attempt to invigorate the tourist activities of MICE participants.
Training session for local exhibition professionals and PCO employees are also in contemplation.
The city will expand its “MICE professional training project”, which is hosted by Busan and the Ministry of Employment and Labor and organized by the Busan Tourism & Convention Forum, and support jobseekers through “MICE job fair.”
Field trips for students of MICE-related majors will be provided on an annual basis, and surveys will be conducted in regards to occupational and business satisfaction. The city also plans to carry out strategic manpower development project and survey to confirm how many jobseekers were employed through job fair.
Enhancement of global marketing power – As a part of the plan to develop MICE industry, Busan will upgrade Busan MICE advisory committee to MICE promotion council. The council will begin its operation in February 2014, and it will undertake tasks including design of plans to foster MICE industry, carrying out MICE fosterage projects and promotion services.
The business affairs committee of relevant authorities will be held four times a year instead of two times to consider more items and discuss relevant matters.
To attract more conventions and medium and large size incentive travels, the city will establish a taskforce in cooperation with the Busan Tourism Organization and hotels to host the international organizations, and discover and attract organizations that seek to establish the office in Northeast Asia.
Moreover, the city will decide between Beijing and Shanghai to hold a roadshow solely organized by Busan to attract large scale of incentives travels, and participate in overseas conventions and roadshows of Korea Tourism Organization in an attempt to further strengthen its global marketing power.
The MICE industry is a service industry that refers to meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions. It was designated as one of Busan’s four strategic industries, because it is high-value added and creates strong economic ripple effects.
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Source: Yonhap News (Dec. 11, 2013)
** This article was translated from the Korean.