Suwon-Style MICE Initiatives Take Off...One-Stop Support for Conferences, Accommodation, and Tourism

Suwon Special City (Mayor Lee Jae-jun) is launching an integrated MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) support project in earnest. At its center is the Suwon Convention Center, which actively discovers and attracts international conferences, provides support from hosting and organizing to accommodation and tourism for overseas participants, and assists in registering international conference achievements.

One-Stop Information on Support Programs for International Conference Organizers

The Suwon Convention Center's Convention Bureau discovers international conferences organized or hosted by universities, academic societies, research institutions, hospitals, and companies in the city, and provides guidance on support programs from related organizations including the Korea Tourism Organization, Gyeonggi Province Tourism Organization, and the Suwon Convention Center all at once.

After confirming the event scale, participating countries, number of foreign participants, and hosting stage, the bureau guides applicable support projects and application procedures. It also reviews the eligibility of academic conferences, general assemblies, forums, seminars, and corporate meetings for international conference statistics recognition, along with registration procedures.

On-Site Briefing Sessions Discover Potential International Conferences

The Suwon Convention Center is conducting on-site briefing sessions and consultations by directly visiting event-hosting organizations to discover potential international conferences.

In August, the center provided consultations to international conference professionals at the 'Gyeonggi MICE Day,' and on September 17, held an 'International Conference Attraction Briefing Session' at the Paldal Cultural Center with 20 participants from academic and professional associations and non-governmental organizations.

Participants toured the Paldal Cultural Center and the traditional Korean-style hotel 'Namsuheon,' exploring ways to connect accommodation, dining, and historical and cultural experiences with conference schedules.

Support for Overseas Participants' Accommodation and Tourism

Suwon City and the Suwon Convention Center have been implementing the 'Suwon MICE Incentive Tourism Support Program' since September 22 to encourage overseas participants in discovered and attracted international conferences to stay in Suwon.

The support targets incentive tourism events linked to international conferences and corporate meetings held in the Suwon International Conference Complex. When foreign participants numbering 100 or more stay in Suwon for one night or more, the city provides support for tourist facility admission fees and hotel accommodation costs. Eligible applicants are travel agencies registered in accordance with the 'Tourism Promotion Act.'

The Suwon Convention Center plans to not only attract events but also link accommodation, tourism, and experiential programs, and propose industrial tourism content including visits to local companies and industrial sites. The vision is to increase foreign participants' length of stay and connect it to local spending on accommodation, dining, tourism, and shopping.

Support for Discovering and Registering International Conference Achievements Across All of Suwon

Suwon City supports the registration of events held not only at the Suwon Convention Center but also throughout Suwon—at hospitals, hotels, research institutions, and elsewhere—as hosting achievements if they meet international conference criteria.

The city receives event information from local organizations that have hosted or are preparing events with overseas participants, reviews their eligibility as international conferences, and guides them through the statistical registration process.

A Suwon City official stated, "The core of this support is to grow local conferences into international events and to encourage overseas participants to stay longer in Suwon, using accommodation, tourism, and industrial sites. We will provide systematic support from the conference preparation stage through after hosting to increase both Suwon's international conference hosting capacity and local economic effects."