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Seoul targets Europe’s lucrative MICE market with global partnership push
Seoul MICE Alliance member companies pose at the 2025 IMEX Seoul promotional booth. Courtesy of the Seoul Tourism Organization
By Lee Kyung-min
The Seoul city government is taking an aggressive new swing at Europe’s lucrative meetings and conventions market, dispatching a coalition of hotels, convention operators and travel agencies to Germany next week in a bid to attract more international events to the Korean capital.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization said Friday they will operate a standalone Seoul promotional pavilion during IMEX Frankfurt 2026, Europe’s largest MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) trade show, from Monday through Wednesday in Frankfurt, Germany.
The city plans to strengthen direct marketing to global event organizers while deepening partnerships with international meeting planners and convention networks.
Twelve members of the Seoul MICE Alliance will participate under the banner “TEAM SEOUL,” including Coex, Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas, The Westin Seoul Parnas, Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, Hotel Shilla, MNC Communications, Kims M&T, Travel Easy, Sally Tour, Golden Tour Korea DMC, HNT and E TourisM.
The Seoul pavilion will focus heavily on business matchmaking sessions and group presentations aimed at attracting high-value corporate meetings and conventions.
A centerpiece of this year’s campaign will be a memorandum of understanding with INCON, a global partnership network of professional conference organizers with offices in 70 countries.
The agreement is scheduled to be signed Tuesday during the second day of the exhibition, when senior INCON officials will visit the Seoul pavilion for strategic talks on expanding cooperation in attracting international events.
The Seoul Tourism Organization also plans to host a “Seoul Happy Hour” networking event featuring Korean fried chicken and beer to encourage ties between INCON partners and Seoul MICE Alliance companies.
According to the organization, INCON’s network oversees roughly 11,000 MICE events annually.
“We plan to move beyond simple promotion and focus on building strategic partnerships with global networks such as INCON,” the organization said.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.