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The GMICE Letter — your fastest, friendliest source for Gyeonggi MICE news — is back for 2026. How have you been? This year again, GMICE will diligently deliver the living, on-the-ground scenes of Gyeonggi MICE along with the information you really need. Without having to dig through complex policy documents or press releases one by one, you'll be able to follow the flow of Gyeonggi MICE at a glance — with just this newsletter.
Since this is our comeback issue, we've prepared three things for today: the “H1 footprints” of a busy first half (even while the newsletter rested), an “H2 preview” that opens the real event season, and the “big picture for 2030” that the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization is drawing. Shall we take a look together, one step at a time?
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🧀 H1 2026 Recap — Here's What Happened in Gyeonggi MICE
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Even while the newsletter was on break, Gyeonggi MICE never stopped. The first half alone brought a steady stream of major news — and we've picked three signature moments that show where Gyeonggi MICE is headed.
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[January] Suwon becomes an "international conference city" — designation of an International Conference Complex District
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Suwon International Conference Complex District (approx. 2.1 million m²)
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The big news started back in January: a 2.1 million m² area in Gwanggyo, centered on the Suwon Convention Center, was officially designated an "International Conference Complex District." This district is officially recognized as a "MICE cluster zone" where meeting facilities are seamlessly integrated with lodging, shopping, and tourism hubs like the Galleria and Lotte Outlets.
For Gyeonggi Province, this follows the 2018 designation of Goyang KINTEX, effectively completing our dual-hub strategy — anchoring KINTEX in the north and Suwon in the south. With approximately 2 billion KRW (approx. $1.5 million USD) in funding committed over the next five years, Suwon is now positioned to become the premier MICE hub for the southern region.
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[March] 14,000 people are coming — landing the "Amway China Leadership Seminar"
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Suwon Convention Center — confirmed venue for the 2027 Amway China Leadership Seminar
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The momentum continued in March when the Suwon Convention Center was confirmed as the venue for the 2027 Amway China Leadership Seminar. This major global corporate incentive event is scheduled for February–March 2027 and is expected to draw about 14,000 participants. With an estimated economic ripple effect of 77 billion KRW (approx. $50 million USD), this is a significant win for the local economy.
Incentive travel is a flagship of "high-value-added MICE," where thousands of participants drive substantial spending across local lodging, F&B, and retail sectors. Together with the "International Conference Complex District" designation in January, this confirms that Suwon is rapidly establishing itself as a world-class destination capable of hosting large-scale international events.
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[April] Across Singapore and Jakarta — 155 overseas marketing consultations
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'GYEONGGI' joint booth — TMS APAC Singapore & Jakarta roadshows
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In April, Gyeonggi MICE actively engaged in back-to-back global events: the TMS APAC (The Meetings Show Asia Pacific) in Singapore — which hosted 297 organizations from 72 countries — and dedicated roadshows in Singapore and Jakarta. By teaming up with five members of the Gyeonggi Tourism MICE Alliance, we conducted 155 consultations, successfully promoting our province to key international buyers.
The results speak for themselves: we've already attracted interest from a Mexican jewelry group for a 350-person incentive trip to Korea in 2027. This is the real payoff of our overseas efforts — turning on-site connections into actual event wins.
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Additionally, in March, we hosted the Gyeonggi North MICE FAM Tour, inviting around 100 travel agencies to the Pocheon–Dongducheon–Uijeongbu area. With Suwon anchoring large-scale events in the south and new infrastructure emerging in the north, the stage for Gyeonggi MICE is widening across the entire province.
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🧀 H2 2026 — Upcoming Highlights & Events
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If the first half of the year was for planning and bidding, the second half marks the time for delivery. From July through November, a vibrant lineup of MICE events is set to roll out across Gyeonggi Province. Mark your calendar in advance!
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- ▶ July 2026 Bucheon AI Content Summit (Bucheon)
- ▶ September GXG 2026 Seongnam Game Culture Festival (Seongnam)
- ▶ October North America MICE Trade Show (USA) / 2026 Content Universe Korea (Goyang)
- ▶ November Drone·UAM Expo (Goyang) / Suwon Global Beauty Summit (Suwon) / Taipei ITF (Taiwan) / ICCA Congress (Panama) / Content Business Forum (Goyang) / Korea MICE Expo, KME (Seoul)
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GXG 2026 Seongnam Game Culture Festival
Sep 11–12 · Pangyo Station Plaza
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2026 Drone·Urban Air Mobility Expo
Nov 4–6 · KINTEX Hall 1
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🧀 Looking Further — Toward 2030
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2030 Gyeonggi Tourism Grand Vision Plan Declaration Ceremony
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This year, the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization is moving beyond quantitative growth — simply boosting visitor "numbers" — toward a policy shift aimed at the "2030 Gyeonggi Tourism Grand Vision." We took our first step this May. The core of this vision isn't just "how many people visit," but rather "how long they stay, and how much they enjoy and spend."
Longer stays, greater spending — MICE is at the heart of this shift. Our direction for Gyeonggi MICE is to ensure that those who visit for meetings, exhibitions, and incentive travel stay longer and naturally extend their business trips into tourism.
We'll share the full story of the vision in depth through an upcoming interview.
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