Busan is good

Busan emerging as global convention city

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Busan, Korea's second largest city, is making its mark as a global convention destination by increasingly winning bids to host large international conferences.

From Jan. to Oct. 2007, the southeastern port city was selected to host 36 international conventions, and the number is expected to reach 40 by the year's end, according to the Busan Metropolitan Government.

Night view of Nurimaru, BEXCO, the venue for the eighth Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summitIn 2004, Busan hosted six international conventions. The next year, it won the rights to hold 23, including the Busan APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation), and last year, 33 international conventions were held there. This dramatic increase shows the port city's upgraded stature in the global arena.

Reflecting its heightened capability and status as an international convention host, Busan ranked eighth among leading international convention cities in Asia -- moving up four notches compared to the previous year -- and 41st in the world, up 32 notches, according to the Union of International Associations (UIA) in 2006.

The city's strategic efforts to lure international events by upgrading convention facilities, such as the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO) and Busan Convention Bureau, in cooperation with related government institutions at all levels has also helped it attract international events.

Ten of the 36 international conventions Busan has won so far this year will reportedly draw more than 1,000 participants. It will host the International Lions Clubs Convention 2012 (an estimated 40,000 people from 200 countries), the International Association of Ports and Harbors  2011 (3,000 people from 88 countries), and the International Water Association (IWA) 2012 (4,000 participants from 130 countries).

Busan won the hosting rights for the IWA in the face of heavy competition from rivals Tokyo, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Korea Festival Exbihition held at BEXCOInternational conventions coming to Busan next year include the International Boxing Federation Organizing Committee Conference in February, where ten International Olympics Committee members will attend; the Korea-China-Japan foreign ministers' meeting in April; Korea Cable TV Association (KCTA) in June; Trex Games Busan 2008 in September; and the Asia Congress of Architects in October. CNN president Jonathan Klein is scheduled to attend the upcoming KCTA to deliver a keynote speech.

In 2009, Busan is scheduled to host the International Sailing Federation Annual Conference and several international medical congresses, including the Asian Conference on Emergency Medicine.

Meanwhile, to satisfy the demands of ever-larger conventions, the city has decided to renovate BEXCO facilities by 2012, building a 4,000-seat auditorium in front of its convention hall, a new two-story exhibition hall, and a large underground parking lot.

The Source of News : Korea.net  November 16, 2007