Laying the foundation for Goyang’s 5-Year Strategy toward becoming Korea’s Sustainable MICE Capital
On August 20, the Goyang Convention & Visitors Bureau hosted the 2025 Goyang MICE Sustainability Workshop at Sono Calm Goyang Hotel. This workshop, designed as part of the city’s five-year strategy to realize the vision of “Sustainable MICE Capital City of Korea, Goyang”, brought together 15 key stakeholders from government, industry, and academia for meaningful dialogue.
Led by the Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDSM), the workshop followed internationally recognized structures of discussion and was conducted entirely in English. To ensure smooth communication, AI-powered real-time translation minimized language barriers.
Discussions centered on the current status of Goyang’s MICE sustainability practices and future strategies. The proposed execution roadmap—Benchmarking → Strategy Development → Capacity Building → Storytelling → Evaluation—stood out for its bottom-up approach, moving away from the conventional top-down policy model.
Participants reviewed Goyang’s staged development model for its city marketing organization and shared SWOT analyses, identifying strengths such as infrastructure and opportunities like the opening of the GTX-A line, the construction of KINTEX Exhibition Hall 3, and the growth of K-culture events. At the same time, weaknesses such as limited synergy between tourism and MICE industries, transportation challenges, and insufficient specialized industries were noted.
Satisfaction with the workshop scored 4.7 out of 5, with participants commenting, “I gained deeper insights into Goyang” and “AI technology made it easier to understand the discussions.” However, the lack of diverse experts—particularly in waste management, biodiversity, and tourism development—was cited as an area for improvement.
Sustainability was also put into practice during the event. Participants used personal tablets instead of printed materials, banners were produced from eco-friendly paper, snacks featured local Goyang-grown rice, and reusable mugs and tumblers replaced disposable cups. DEI principles were upheld by diversifying participant backgrounds across age, experience, and industry sectors.
Post-workshop, results were shared through a press release, and in September, Goyang officially began work on the 2026–2030 Goyang MICE Sustainability Strategy. The outcomes will also feed into the next GDS-Index evaluation.
This workshop not only offered discussion but also laid the cornerstone of Goyang’s five-year sustainability roadmap. Moving forward, the city aims to integrate sustainability into every aspect of its MICE policies and operations, solidifying its reputation as Korea’s premier MICE capital.
Laying the foundation for Goyang’s 5-Year Strategy toward becoming Korea’s Sustainable MICE Capital
On August 20, the Goyang Convention & Visitors Bureau hosted the 2025 Goyang MICE Sustainability Workshop at Sono Calm Goyang Hotel. This workshop, designed as part of the city’s five-year strategy to realize the vision of “Sustainable MICE Capital City of Korea, Goyang”, brought together 15 key stakeholders from government, industry, and academia for meaningful dialogue.
Led by the Global Destination Sustainability Movement (GDSM), the workshop followed internationally recognized structures of discussion and was conducted entirely in English. To ensure smooth communication, AI-powered real-time translation minimized language barriers.
Discussions centered on the current status of Goyang’s MICE sustainability practices and future strategies. The proposed execution roadmap—Benchmarking → Strategy Development → Capacity Building → Storytelling → Evaluation—stood out for its bottom-up approach, moving away from the conventional top-down policy model.
Participants reviewed Goyang’s staged development model for its city marketing organization and shared SWOT analyses, identifying strengths such as infrastructure and opportunities like the opening of the GTX-A line, the construction of KINTEX Exhibition Hall 3, and the growth of K-culture events. At the same time, weaknesses such as limited synergy between tourism and MICE industries, transportation challenges, and insufficient specialized industries were noted.
Satisfaction with the workshop scored 4.7 out of 5, with participants commenting, “I gained deeper insights into Goyang” and “AI technology made it easier to understand the discussions.” However, the lack of diverse experts—particularly in waste management, biodiversity, and tourism development—was cited as an area for improvement.
Sustainability was also put into practice during the event. Participants used personal tablets instead of printed materials, banners were produced from eco-friendly paper, snacks featured local Goyang-grown rice, and reusable mugs and tumblers replaced disposable cups. DEI principles were upheld by diversifying participant backgrounds across age, experience, and industry sectors.
Post-workshop, results were shared through a press release, and in September, Goyang officially began work on the 2026–2030 Goyang MICE Sustainability Strategy. The outcomes will also feed into the next GDS-Index evaluation.
This workshop not only offered discussion but also laid the cornerstone of Goyang’s five-year sustainability roadmap. Moving forward, the city aims to integrate sustainability into every aspect of its MICE policies and operations, solidifying its reputation as Korea’s premier MICE capital.