A poster to publicize guidelines of protecting Seoul’s MICE events against contagious diseases.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to help private MICE events go online in order to help the Korean MICE industry break through the COVID-19 era and preemptively respond to changes in the MICE industry in the post-COVID-19 era.

The MICE industry is a complex industry encompassing business meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions. It is a high value-added industry with 28,000 employees nationwide and posts more than 5.4 trillion won in annual turnover.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization laid out the “Seoul-type Innovation-Powered MICE Support Plan” on Oct. 19.

The plan includes expanding support measures centered on offline events to online and hybrid (online and offline) events, selecting and supporting 32 exhibitions in each stage of their development, and strengthening support for offline events focused on safety and the prevention of COVID-19 virus infections.

Since July, online events with more than 50 foreign participants just like offline MICE events will be eligible for financial support from the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Online events will be given 80 percent of financial support for offline events. They will be able to receive up to 200 million won and an average of 20 million won.

Up to 120 percent of financial support for offline events will be given to hybrid events held on-line and off-line. About 30 international conferences will receive such support.

The globally renowned K-pop boys band BTS has released a series of videos to pitch for Seoul’s tourism. (Photos: SMG & STO)

They include the "2020 Korea Dermatological Society International Academic Conference" to be held in December and the “2020 International Medical and Beauty Conference” to be held in November.

In the meantime, the Seoul Tourism Organization and the Union of International Associations (UIA) announced on October 20 that they donated all of the registration fees for the UIA Associations Round Table Asia-Pacific 2020 held on September 17-18 to the ChildFund Korea. The fees will be used as scholarships to foster MICE talents in Seoul.

The scholarships will be delivered to young people of low-income families who are continuing their studies about international conferences, exhibitions, and translation and interpretation in order to help them grow into specialists in the MICE industry.

The Seoul Tourism Organization gave scholarships to young people who had not given up on their dreams despite difficulties in the COVID-19 era in order to encourage them, the Seoul Tourism Organization explained.

“We hope that registration fees for the UIA Associations Round Table Asia-Pacific 2020 successfully held in September will support young people's dreams and hopes,” said an official at the Seoul Tourism Organization. “We will continue to pay attention to activities to nurture future talents for Seoul’s MICE industry.”

Meanwhile, the UIA Associations Round Table Asia-Pacific 2020 was held on-line on the virtual conference platform “Virtual Seoul” due to concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 virus with 168 participants from associations and academic societies.

Virtual Seoul prepared to publicize the attractiveness of Seoul offered a 360 VR video at virtual tour centers. The video recorded more than 1,000 views. Visitors heaped praises on the innovative system of Virtual Seoul.

The main page of the “3D Virtual Meeting Seoul” platform for the UIA’s 8th Associations Round Table Asia-Pacific.