The Global Convention Complex is the Korean government’s first and exclusive MICE project whose purpose is to integrate international meeting facilities into a designated area. Until 2015, local governing bodies had competed to build conventions centers. As a result, convention centers might be built in an area without strong base or connection to MICE. Apart from COEX and KINTEX, Korea lacks large-scale exhibition halls. Thus, the Korean government recognized the need for directly converging a convention center with its surrounding facilities and subsequently established a policy on global convention operation. Through the discussion to turn the area surrounding the convention center into “a cluster,” the government proposed in 2015 a bill to establish global convention complexes.

According to the Global Convention Complex law, “a global convention complex” refers to an area where international meeting facilities are concentrated. The area includes not only a convention center where international meetings are held but also other necessary facilities such as accommodations, shopping, and food & beverage centers, since the purpose of an integrated cluster is to improve the overall quality of the event. Incheon, Gwangju, and Goyang were designated as Global Convention Complex in 2018, and Daegu and Busan, in 2020.

The establishment of global convention complexes is a trend found all over the world. As the global meeting market matured, the needs of participants and purposes set by organizations and cities hosting the event have diversified. Following such changes in the environment, major cities hosting important global conventions began to embrace the concept of global convention complex. Though its development or introduction method may vary—be it an integrated resort, a convention zone, or a convention business district, all cities shared the common goal of fortifying competitive edges in securing important international meetings and maximizing high value-added effects.

A global convention complex can generate high added values by activating the local economy, boosting related tourism and enhancing the city’s image. Through the complex, participants can not only take part in the meeting but also gain satisfying experience from subsidiary services. This can generate various businesses between industries related to convention centers and facilities for lodging, dining, entertainment, and shopping while maximizing the economic effect of the MICE industry. In other words, the convention market comes to function as a platform for developing related industries.

In 2019, Goyang City was designated as the Goyang Global Convention Complex as the first of its kind by Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. In 2020, Goyang City was selected for the 2020 Global Convention Complex Activation Project for two consecutive years. In keeping with such official support, Goyang City has made an effort to position itself as a competitive international MICE city with economic power.

Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province saw the completion of the Suwon MICE Complex as a large-scale aquarium opened near the Suwon Convention Center in January 2021. The opening of the Suwon Convention Center in March 2019 was followed by the opening of the Courtyard by Marriott in January 2020, opening of Galleria Gwanggyo in March, and opening of Aqua Planet Gwanggyo on January 19, 2021; thus, the Suwon Convention Complex came to be positioned as an integrated MICE complex representing the south of Gyeonggi Province. Such new establishment gave rise to the highly anticipated role of Gyeonggi Province as the center of the MICE industry.