In response to the current COVID-19 situation, the Seoul Convention Bureau (SCB), under the Seoul Tourism Organization (STO), has brought in safety measures to its PLUS SEOUL support programme for MICE suppliers and delegates, as well as provides extra assistance to groups affected by COVID-19.
SCB also introduced supports for business events transformation from offline events to virtual and hybrid models, to overcome the damages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and enhance global competitiveness in the new normal era of MICE industry.
Continuous Support for Offline MICE Events
Through the PLUS SEOUL Programme, the reassuring package, personal hygiene kit support and disinfection infrastructure such as quarantine gates, thermal imaging cameras and professional hygiene and disinfection service will be provided, to ensure the safety and security of attending delegates. Seoul has prepared a manual and guideline poster on prevention of infectious disease and how to respond to the crisis.
(i) Reassuring Package
The reassuring package provides comfort and care services from the arrival of the delegates till departure, starting with international conference delegates first. It includes assistance services for insurance coverage and 24-hour foreign language services such as translation and interpretation for emergency medical situations, reservations and more, to reassure comfortable bleisure time in Seoul. Most of these services will be offered over the phone but in person when necessary.
(ii) Personal Hygiene Kit Support
A personal hygiene kit that consists of a facial mask with disposable filters, a sanitiser, antimicrobial wipes and more will be provided to MICE delegates. All delegates are encouraged and expected to continuously follow guidelines of personal hygiene routines such as washing hands, wearing facial masks and keeping a minimum of o 1 to 2 metre apart from others.
(iii) Venue Disinfecting Service
Disinfecting service will be provided for any event, to reduce the risk of infection and maintain high levels of hygiene of the venue. Hence, the organisers can host their events in a designated Infection-free Zone that will be sanitised frequently for the duration of the event in Seoul.
As a preventative measure against COVID-19, each attendee is registered with a QR code, where the code would help authorities to identify anyone with potential exposure to the virus much faster and easier. Mask wearing is mandatory to enter any public or MICE venues and temperatures are checked, to ensure safety and security of attending delegates. Applicable personal protective equipment (PPE) and sanitiser for attendees are provided, along with frequent reminders are displayed within the venue areas. The indoor air will be changed frequently.
In addition, each organiser adopts the necessary protocols and announces specific measures based on the type of the event. For example, plastic gloves will be provided in addition to other personal protection equipment (PPE) for events that involve plenty of hands-on exchanges or activities.
Extends Financial Support for Virtual and Hybrid MICE Events
Since July 2020, financial support is to be provided for virtual events with more than 50 paid international participants, which is similar to offline MICE events. The financial support will cover every phase of the events, from consultation service to host events in Seoul, including international promotion activities, webinar organising and contents production, developing virtual exhibition platforms. The virtual events will receive 80% of the amount provided to offline events (maximum 200 million KRW, 20 million on average), while the hybrid events will receive 120%. Seoul Convention Bureau will support about 30 hybrid international conferences.
Additional Support for Events at Development Stage
The exhibitions including those on project proposals showing high potential to become a global event or with the highly innovative ideas or concepts will receive supporting funds of 10 million to 100 million KRW at maximum to be used towards enhancing innovation, putting together the crisis management and/or marketing strategies along with consultation service, disinfection operations and human resource supports. The level 2 to 4 exhibitions have been selected after holistically evaluating the development plans for the next 3 years. As of November 2020, a total of 32 exhibitions or proposals have been selected. The purpose of this support is to re-energise the slow-moving exhibition industry and secure the diversity and competitiveness of Seoul as a safe MICE destination.
Virtual Seoul Platform
With the COVID-19 pandemic still ranging in other parts of the world, SCB has also moved a big step forward into digital world by launching the most innovative way of MICE destination marketing named Virtual Seoul, a platform that represents the actual city of Seoul with event platform (Virtual Seoul) or virtual promotional booth with K-cultural experience (MICE World).
The 3D Virtual Seoul is a virtual platform where you can hold your MICE events with various programmes such as e-conference, live discussion, networking and mini games. It serves as an essential source to be used towards holding more MICE events in the virtual world for any online or hybrid event before offline event resume again.
By promoting Seoul as a MICE City, Seoul MICE World could support your MICE event with a virtual promotional booth where participants can learn about the Seoul city and its PLUS SEOUL support programme, as well as experiencing interesting K-cultural activities online.
The Virtual Seoul Platform is flexible and has endless possibilities and rooms to be improved in the coming years by adding more venues or team building programmes and become a universal source for organising and hosting any MICE events in Seoul. Let’s check out for your virtual event in Seoul!
Safety Measure for Venues
In addition, the Central Disease Control Headquarters and the Central Disaster Management headquarters in Seoul released Disinfection Guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at public and multi-purpose facilities on on 2 April 2020. The MICE venues and hotels were advised to adopt their own procedures and measures in place.
Strict hygiene and safety measures have been adopted at all MICE venues and hotels to prevent the spread of COVID-19 so that MICE delegates can feel safe when staying at or attending the events.
- Increased frequency and full attention to deep cleaning of all high touch surfaces and areas used by guests throughout the hotels and venues
- Increased cleaning frequency of air filters and air-conditioner systems to ensure optimal air quality
- Safe dining, meetings and events with extra precautions to respect physical distancing and enhanced food safety practices
More information available at www.miceseoul.com.