The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has been a blow to the MICE industries around the world. Busan is moving to the forefront of online and hybrid MICE technology to meet the demands of conferencing in an ever-changing world.
Busan Tourism Organisation (BTO) has stated that “Busan MICE Must Go On,” paraphrasing the song, “The Show Must Go On” by Queen. BTO has worked tirelessly to make Busan a stable city in unstable times. Their message is that “Busan is sure” of successful meetings following Covid-safety measures in an in-person, online, or hybrid environment.
The Busan Convention Bureau and Event Organisers of Busan are ready for your next international event. Whether it be big or small, hybrid, in-person, or entirely online, Busan has the technology and stability to host. The traditional meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions industry might have changed. But Busan is ready to meet the new demands with the infrastructure and safety needed to pull off such events.
How Busan is working with Covid
Busan understands that it needs to be a stable environment for MICE, even during Covid.
The Busan Tourism Organisation (BTO) recognises the need for hybrid events that are both safe and supported. Even if only 10% of the event participants are in person, the conference will receive 100% support from the venue.
BTO has heavily invested in supporting both online and offline meetings. MICE organisers don’t need to worry about hidden fees for safe conferences. BTO covers the cost of in-person safety measures like masks, hand sanitisers, and thermal imaging cameras from financial subsidies. Busan also helps with the costs for online events.
Busan’s convention centre has been designed with video conferencing in mind. Busan Exhibition and Convention Centre (BEXCO) has 10 MICE video conference rooms with support for studio video shooting, video conference transmission and digital marketing.
BEXCO can serve both the MICE industry as well as local companies in need of international video conferencing. The convention centre provides state-of-the-art facilities to meet the rapidly rising demand for non-face-to-face MICE (online and hybrid). Busan's MICE Information Centre, located in the BEXCO Auditorium, provides information, convenience services, a meeting room with foreign language-speaking professionals and information on MICE tours.
Busan wants event organisers to feel sure and safe about their decision to host their international event in Busan. They give all events financial, marketing, PR and hosting support.
An easily accessible city
As an internationally recognised events city, Busan is easy to get to and has many straightforward ways to get around.
Located in the heart of northeast Asia, Busan is at the top of many travel destination lists. The mix of sweeping beachfront, sky-high buildings, and ancient temples gives visitors to the city plenty to explore. Busan has all the amenities of the metropolitan that it is (population of 3.4 million) with a more laid-back feel. With 2.7 million foreign tourists a year, Busan offers many activities to merge business with tourism. Busan has also made headlines with its many green and safety initiatives. The city has received the Safe Cities Certification two years in a row, a testament to the city’s commitment to implement safety measures and continually improve safety infrastructure.
As a tourist destination, Busan was named Asia’s best travel destination by Lonely Planet in 2018. It's also the 10th most preferred travel destination by Airbnb.
The city, located in the heart of Northeast Asia, is easily accessed by plane with many direct flights. Finnair announced it would start a direct route from Helsinki to Busan in 2022. There are nearly 1200 transfer flights to Busan from your city to any major Asian city. Some travellers opt to fly to Seoul and then take a high-speed train to Busan in under three hours.
Public transit from the airport and within the city is fast and safe. Visitors who fly into Gimhae International Airport are 40 minutes away from Busan Exhibition and Convention Centre (BEXCO). There is also a convenient subway system to get to and from the airport to the venue or hotel.
Your event will be well accommodated in Busan. There are 60,000 hotel rooms, plus Airbnbs in the city. The inner core has over 15,000 rooms with many five-star and business class options. Two new hotels opened in 2021, and more are scheduled to open in 2022.
Korea is also spending a total of 150 billion over the next three years to increase tourism in Busan.
The convention centre is centrally located to enjoy food, accommodation, shopping and tourist activities within a 10-minute radius.
Busan’s vibrant international event portfolio
Busan’s efforts to welcome international conferences have not gone unnoticed. The city has hosted global events like the World Diabetes Federation General Assembly and the ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit.
2022 looks to be a full year for Busan. Here are the major international conferences scheduled in the city.
- The 31st IAUGA (International Astronomical Union General Assembly) 2022 Busan
- International Conference on Strangeness in Quark Matter
- The 7th International Marine Debris Conference (7IMDC)
- CIMAC (International Council of combustion Engines) World Congress 2022
- The APAA (Asian Patent Attorneys Association) Council Meeting 2022
- FIATA (International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations) World Congress 2022
- The 19th World Congress of Endoscopic Surgery (WCES 2022)
BEXCO has 56 meeting rooms and a 46,500 square meter exhibition hall. A third auditorium is set to open in 2023. BTO is proud to host events like the APAA Council Meeting 2022, meetings with FIATA, the IAUGA (International Astronomical Union General Assembly) Busan 2022 and their other international conferences.
With the technological and Covid support that Busan offers the MICE industry leaders, Busan looks forward to hosting even more international events in the future, in-person, hybrid and online.
Busan MICE must go on
Busan is a testament to constantly improving and providing the best experience for visitors under uncertain conditions.
With new technological advances, Busan is on its way to becoming one of the best modern convention cities in the world. Busan is already globally recognised as a hub for International Conferences, ranked 17th in the world and 5th in Asia. The Busan Tourism Organisation (BTO) and the Korea Tourism Organisation have pledged billions of dollars to update infrastructure and technology to support large-scale international events in a hybrid setting.
The Busan Tourism Organisation is confident that the MICE industry will go on, successfully albeit differently. BTO is ready to help organise international events, providing you with all the support you need so that events run just as seamlessly as they did in pre-pandemic times. To get more information on conferences and conventions in Busan, visit the website of the Busan Convention Bureau.
