Korea to Inspire Buyers at Hosted Buyer Lounge at AIME 2014

Korea World Trade Centre

Korea Tourism Organization is aiming to inspire buyers to host their next meeting, incentive, conference or exhibition in Korea by sponsoring the hosted buyer lounge at AIME2014 (Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo 2014) which will be held at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on the 18th and 19th February next year.

Hosted buyers will be welcomed by girls in traditional Korean costume and have the chance to enjoy some hands on activities. Korean girls in traditional costume will welcome hosted buyers to relax in the lounge and try their hand at Korean fan making, take their photo in the photo zone and try some traditional Korean tea and snacks. Buyers will be able to watch promotional films of Korea and have an overall Korean experience whilst in the lounge.

As well as sponsoring the hosted buyer lounge Korea Tourism Organization will have a large team of Korean MICE industry specialists join the Korea Tourism Organization stand 3100 at AIME2014.

Korea is on the fast-track to becoming one of the top destinations for MICE events. MICE space in the country has expanded 70% since the year 2000, and more facilities are being developed in key hubs to boost the industry.

Korea has successfully hosted numerous international world class events from the G20 Summit in 2010 to the Nuclear Security Summit in March of 2012. Korea's awareness as a meetings destination has heightened. In addition, the Union of International Association (UIA) reports that Korea was ranked fifth for the number of international meetings in 2012.

Korea presently has nine major convention centres in major cities throughout Korea as well as Seoul and Jeju Island off the southern coast of Korea. Easy access to the country as well as convenient transportation such as the KTX Express train service allows connecting between major cities within a two hour range of Seoul.

Pre and post tours are a great attraction as visitors can immerse themselves in the remarkable cultural heritage and vibrant nature of Korea. Along with the healthy cuisine visitors can join in activities such as learning how to make traditional Korean ceramics, experience a night in a traditional Korean house (hanok) or join a taekwondo training program or experience oriental medical treatments.

Korea also offers a wide variety of shopping opportunities: arcades, department stores, duty-free stores, outdoor markets and for those who have no time to shop during the day, all night shopping is a speciality of Korea. At Dongdaemun you can shop all night till 5.30am in the morning.

Live theatre options are wide and varied including popular shows loved by tourists to Seoul like Nanta and Jump. Traditional performances of music and dance can be enjoyed at places like Korea House and the Jeongdong Theatre.

COEX Mall at night

Korean cuisine inspires many visitors to Seoul to take up healthy eating. Korean food is not only delicious, it is also very good for your health. Meals are nutritionally balanced and very low in fat and many vegetable dishes are provided as side dishes to the main course. Korean BBQ is very popular with visitors to the country and the variety of Korean cuisine is huge.

Korea Tourism Organization invites hosted buyers to relax in the hosted buyers lounge and welcome all buyers and visitors to AIME2014 to visit the Korea stand (3100) to learn more about how to host your next successful meeting in Korea.