Regularly listed in the Top 10 of the Safe Cities Index, Seoul also plays a leading role when it comes to ranking smart cities on a global scale. Safe and connected, the image of the Korean capital is both attractive and reassuring, particularly for event organisers... And with good reason: Seoul knows how to welcome, as shown by theaccommodation offerboth qualitatively and quantitatively. There were no fewer than 444 hotels before the crisis - and some 60,000 rooms - in the Korean capital. And the projects are multiplying. According to a report published by Lodging Econometrics, with the exception of China, Seoul is the destination with the highest number of hotel projects under construction (64) in the Asia-Pacific region. The Korean capital is ahead of two other business destinations: Jakarta and Bangkok.
Among the most 'MICE friendly' establishments on the Seoul hotel scene, France's Accor has a lot going for it with the Seoul Dragon City. This vast combo brings together no fewer than four of the Group's brands: Grand Mercure, Novotel Suites, Novotel, and ibis Styles. XXL events are more than welcome here, with 1700 rooms and a wide range of prices to suit every need. Its MICE catalogue also boasts solid capabilities, including Hanra and Baekdu function roomswhich can accommodate up to 1800 people each, complemented by a number of modular function rooms.
The address is all the more attractive for its resolutely modern infrastructure - Seoul Dragon City was inaugurated five years ago - and its strategic location. The hotel complex is located in the district of Yongsanadjacent to the station - and therefore to the local TGV line KTX which serves the whole country - and the IPark Mall. Accor has also made no secret of its ambitions in Seoul and, more generally, throughout Korea. Last year, the French group sent out a strong signal on the Korean market, launching two of its top-of-the-range brands there for the first time. The Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences has three event spaces, including the Vendôme Room (300 people), while the Fairmont Ambassador Seoul (326 rooms) boasts almost 2,000 m² of event space, including a vast ballroom and ten meeting rooms.
Another accommodation option, and another 'heavyweight' particularly well positioned on the MICE scene: the Lotte Hotel Seoul, THE business showcase of the inevitable chaebeol in the Korean capital. Located in the heart of the capital, just a stone's throw from City Hall, the 1,015-key establishment also enjoys a highly convenient location for business customers and event organisers. They can also exploit the potential of the meetings & events facilities, such as the Crystal Ballroom, which can accommodate over a thousand people and has already proved its worth at major events such as the G20. Special mentions go to the majestic Peninsula bar room, with its piano bar ambience and lush green backdrop. And to the hotel's concierge, a real mine of information for exploring the Lotte Hotel Seoul's surroundings and choosing the best restaurants in the area.
From XXL MICE to exclusive events
Used to hosting major international events, Seoul boasts a number of star facilities that are the picture postcards of local MICE. These include the Coexthe historic heart of the convention centre since 1979 with 36,007 m² of exhibition space and four halls. After having to confine itself to national or hybrid events for more than two years, the convention centre is seeing a return to international congresses. Like the ACM FAccT 2022 event, which attracted a thousand participants at the end of June, the overwhelming majority of whom (90%) were foreign guests. Other large-scale events such as the Association of National Olympic Committees Congress (ANOC 2022) and the 13e Asian Pacific Orthodontic Congress (APOC 2022) in October alone.
" With an increasing number of international congresses returning in 2022, it really does feel like a return to pre-2019, and we're busier than ever." says Steven Kim, Executive Director of Coex. We look forward to playing our part as Seoul's leading convention centre to help the city regain its status as a world leader in international conventions, meetings and exhibitions." he continues. While the Coex management is of course delighted to be able to welcome back events bringing together several thousand people in situ, it is not betting on a pure and simple return to the pre-crisis event formats. The installation of a brand new 20m x 6m full LED screen in the auditorium at 3e floor of the Palais des Congrès. Two 500-inch full LED screens were already inaugurated at the end of 2021 and last January.
So Coex is coming out of the crisis on top, with a new hybrid dimension that should make organisers' work easier: " With the increase in demand for hybrid events, there have been many cases where our customers have had to hire and install LED screens the day before their event. The new screen in our auditorium will reduce the cost and time associated with the repeated installation and dismantling of screens." says the Coex management.
The other signature address for MICE in Seoul can be summed up in three letters: DDPfor Dongdaemun Design Plazaand bears the prestigious stamp of architect Zaha Hadid. On the eve of its tenth anniversary - the building was inaugurated in 2014 - the multi-purpose complex has established itself on the international events scene thanks to its modern facilities and undeniable architectural cachet. Notable clients include Chanel, Vuitton and BMW, to name but a few. The DDP's event offering is based on three exhibition halls, and on Seoul ONThis is a specialised space for conferences and other virtual events, with a large screen suitable for high-resolution video, state-of-the-art audio and lighting equipment, and an interpreter booth.
Alongside these two XXL buildings, the Korean capital also boasts a number of smaller venues, less well known internationally, but particularly attractive to MICE clients. These include Floating Island Convention. The Han River has played an important role in the prosperity of the Korean capital, so it was logical as well as symbolic to locate a space dedicated to top-of-the-range events there. Floating Island Convention therefore dropped anchor on the three artificial islands of Some Sevit. All the necessary precautions have been taken, of course, to cope with the vagaries of the weather and logistics: in case of need or danger, the three islands can be separated. The modernity of the building contrasts with the interior decoration, which has opted for an 'old school' refinement in several areas. But the equipment technology is in line with the latest generation standards.
Also paralysed by the health crisis, the Floating Island Convention is back in full swing, so it's best to plan ahead to organise an event, especially as the venue is also very popular with wedding planners, so corporate events are only welcome during the week. The space regularly hosts product launches, conferences and fashion shows, and its facilities even allow it to stage the operations of car manufacturers who can unveil their new vehicles on the island.
Floating Island's spaces include a Convention Hall (762 m²) capable of hosting a dinner for over 500 people, and up to 1,500 people for a stand-up event. All the technological equipment is available here, and the screen in the Convention Hall has even recently been upgraded. But the spherical format of this main hall allows panoramic projections onto the domed ceiling, for a more pronounced 'wow' effect. The more intimate Villa de Noche (320 m²) is designed for dinners of up to 150 people, in a format roughly equivalent to the 245 m² Rive Gauche space. The Vista space (460 m²) can hold dinners for up to 250 people. As for the top of the building, an event combining the fourth floor and the rooftop overlooking it at 5e can hold up to a thousand people. And so many privileged people who can enjoy the Moonlight Fountain Show from the front row, each evening sublimating the Banpo Bridge facing the river. Floating Island Convention. A unique moment for this member of the 'Unique Venues'.
In a completely different register - and still with the Unique venues" label -the National Museum of Korea is home to treasures of Asian culture as well as international events. Its building, dominated by Mount Namsam to the north, regularly hosts high-profile events. The G20, for example, held its reception ceremony and dinner here in 2010. The museum is modern and imposing, with an auditorium seating over 400 and a conference room seating some 200. All this is complemented by the various reading rooms, and above all by the forecourt (3,600 m²) to the south of the museum, capable of hosting large-scale outdoor events. The museum's restaurants - Yummi Tang, Pagoda, Mirror Pond, as well as a food court - also provide catering services. All of this, of course, while ensuring that the event fits in with the National Museum's plethora of exhibits - no fewer than 420,000 items - and modern displays, such as this room retracing the history of Korea in an immersive 360-degree projection.
