Still nationally focused

New trade fair centres like the Kintex near Seoul have been created in recent years in South Korea. And efforts have been made to internationalise the exhibition scene.

Nonetheless, exhibition activities in South Korea retain their mainly national slant. This is underscored by the still comparatively small number of international exhibitors and attendees. Among the most important international fairs to date are Seoul Food and the Korea Electronics Show (KES).
The UFI Union of International Fairs has published a study on Asian exhibition industry developments in 2005, the second of its kind. According to this, exactly 139 trade fairs were held there. A total of 515,250 m2 was rented, equivalent to average rentals per fair of 3,707 m2. In this category South Korea came fourth after Mainland China, Japan and Hong Kong. By way of comparison, in 2004 509,000 m2 was rented at 141 trade fairs, putting South Korea third after Mainland China and Japan. The five most important exhibition sites, three of which are located in the capital Seoul, feature covered space of altogether 135,533 m2, according to the analysis. In this respect South Korea holds fifth place among the altogether 13 countries reviewed. The UFI forecast predicts no change in this ranking by 2013.
As in previous years, for 2006 the Korean Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE) published a list of trade fairs in South Korea deserving promotion. Half the 42 exhibitions selected come from mechanical engineering, electronics, and information and communications technology. Financial aid amounted to about EUR 3 million, roughly in line with spending in the previous year. Most of the fairs on the MOCIE list took place in Seoul's COEX Convention and Exhibition Centre. Fairs in South Korea are of marginal importance in the German government's foreign exhibition programme. In 2006, for example, two cooperative participations by German companies were organised. In addition to the Seoul Motor Show in 2007, another two collective participations are planned. And next year Messe Frankfurt is putting in an appearance with two proprietary events, the Korea Railways Fair and the Korea Logistics Fair in Busan. Natalja Winges

m+a report Nr.8 / 2006 vom 08.12.2006
m+a report vom 8. Dezember 2006