SEOUL, KOREA - Seoul was ranked as the world’s Top 5 Convention City for the third consecutive year. The Belgium-based Union of International Associations(UIA), an internationally renowned research institute and documentation center released the ‘UIA International Meetings Statistics for the Year 2012’ on Thursday, June 5.
Union of International Associations(UIA) collects data and documents in regards to conventions hosted by about 40,000 governments and nongovernmental organizations. In June every year, UIA releases a ranking of almost 1,300 cites in nearly 160 countries in terms of the number of international conventions held in the city during the previous year.
According to UIA International Meetings Statistics 2012, Seoul hosted 253 conventions in total, making the city the world’s fifth largest convention city for the third consecutive year since 2010. (Seoul hosted 201 and 232 meetings in 2010 and 2011, respectively.)
In terms of the national ranking, Korea was ranked 5th by hosting 563 international conventions, upgraded from 6th place with 469 meetings in the previous year.
Top six international meeting cities for the year 2012 are as follows:
1) 1st place: Singapore (952)
2) 2nd place: Brussels, Belgium (547)
3) 3rd place: Vienna, Austria (326)
4) 4th place: Paris, France (276)
5) 5th place: Seoul, South Korea (253)
6) 6th place: Tokyo, Japan (225)
This marked success underpins the well-coordinated policy of the Seoul metropolitan government to promote the city as a prime destination for international meetings. In addition, the ‘Seoul MICE Alliance’ a public-private cooperation comprised of the Seoul Metropolitan Government and relevant industries that collaborate to provide one-stop service for conventions played a pivotal role in making Seoul a world-class convention city.
From a bidding preparation to hosting, the Seoul metropolitan government provides comprehensive and well-tailored service to meeting planners, association leaders and other event organizers who plan on bringing events to Seoul. In a bid preparation, the city government provides assistance in the preparation of proposals, a one-on-one presentation workshop and consultation on a successful bidding strategy. If board members or executives of a meeting committee want to visit Seoul for their venue search and site inspection, Seoul metropolitan government provides hotel accommodations and transportation among other services.
Once a bid is made, the city government helps the promotion of the convention via Seoul metropolitan government’s website, web magazine, and other PR clips
During a convention period, the city government provides various assistances. For delegates, the city government provides Seoul City Tour Guidebooks, arrange a warm welcome message displayed on the multi-screen LCD displayed above the 23 baggage carousels at Incheon International Airport. To assure a successful convention, the city supports a convention with ‘Seoul Convention Supporters’, a highly trained and dedicated pool of multilingual personnel chosen from convention-related departments of universities.
All of these customized supports are provided in a highly effective collaboration in a form of Seoul MICE Alliance. The alliance consists of Seoul metropolitan government and 112 member enterprises, from convention centers, hotels, PCOs(Professional Convention Organizers) and travel agencies to transportation and production agencies.