Making an impact
Known as a place where tradition and technology thrive, this city in the southeastern region of Korea is using its intellectual weight to win meetings at the cutting edge of science.
Daegu’s dedicated conventions district has a revitalised EXCO convention centre at its heart, along with Kyungpook National University. This hotbed for talent is helping to foster the city's growth and win high-tech events like ACM SIGGRAPH Asia2022, as well as energy-related conferences.
As Korea’s third largest city, Daegu is a hub for tourism and culture, thanks to its own international airport and easy access from Seoul by high-speed train. It has a rich pedigree of hosting large-scale congresses, from the 2013 World Energy Conference and World Water Forum in 2015 to 2019’s World Congress of Neuroscience, and is home to a number of Korea’s major corporations, including Samsung, Hyundai, LG and POSCO.
Daegu's convention bureau has identified six key sectors - water, future vehicles, medical care, robotics, energy, and the IoT – to target and are ready to throw their weight behind bids, cognisant of the impact they can have. In fact, the CVB (which was the country's first convention bureau) recently commissioned research into the mid- and long-term impact of a number of major events spanning a number of years.
“Business events have shaped Daegu's industry and economy and elevated the city's brand globally and brought innovation and progress to our region,” says Charlie Bae, CEO of Daegu CVB, on the bureau’s website, adding: “Despite 20 years in the industry, even I was not aware of many of the ripple effects.” The bureau is now developing a quantitative index for assessment of upcoming events, which include the 2024 International Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (ICTAM) and the 2026 World Congress for Neurorehabilitation.
Where to meet
Daegu’s EXCO convention centre - the venue for the 2022 World Gas Conference in May and set to host the World Biomaterials Congress in 2024 - now boasts 30,000 m2 of exhibition space after the addition of a second hall in 2021 equipped with a state-of-the-art enterprise interview centre and electric vehicle charging station. It's gearing up to further target international exhibitions and conventions for its 30th anniversary in 2025, and a new EXCO metro line is slated for 2027.
Nearby, Kyunpook National University's Global Plaza boasts an auditorium, a 520-seat multi-purpose convention hall and an international conference hall for 200 alongside more than 20 seminar rooms of varying sizes for breakouts.
The Daegu Center for Creative Economy & Innovation is a funky business incubator set up by Samsung to encourage start-ups with capacity for up to 78 that often hosts tech events while further to the south is the Daegu Gyeongbuk Design Center, an imposing modern building with capacity for up to 1,320 across its convention hall and meeting rooms, along with four exhibition halls.
Where to stay
Daegu has nine three-star hotels, five four-star hotels and two five-star options. The recently refurbished 303-room Hotel Inter-burgo EXCO in the heart of the business events district boasts the largest grand ballroom in Korea - accommodating up to 3,000 people - alongside several substantial conference rooms, all within easy reach of Daegu International Airport.
The high-end Daegu Grand has 150 rooms along with the elegantly named Dynasty and Regency Halls for events for up to 370 attendees or the Daegu Marriott, which opened in January 2021 beside Dongdaegu Transportation Hub, one of the largest transit centres in Asia, has great views over the city from its 190 pared-back-chic rooms along with a grand ballroom, conference rooms, and breakout spaces. The Toyoko Inn Hotel Dongdaegu is set to open in 2023.
“Business events have shaped Daegu's industry and economy and elevated the city's brand globally and brought innovation and progress to our region"
Charlie Bae, CEO of Daegu CVB
What to do
A whopping 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites lie within an hour's travel of Daegu, bringing plenty of opportunities for inspirational off-sites: Bulguksa, an ancient Buddhist temple on the slopes of Mount Toham, is home to six national treasures including pagodas and statues, or check out the historic clan villages of Hahoe and Yangdong set in stunning landscapes of mountains, forests and rivers. For something closer to home, visit the high-tech ARC Cultural Center on a spot where four rivers come together, where you'll find exhibitions and activities, or Daegu Arboretum is home to hundreds of species across its 21 gardens.
What they say
"With the help of Daegu CVB's organisational and systematic approach to bidding, we were able to win the bid to host the 2024 ICTAM by a landslide," says Professor Kim Heuydong, from Andong National University's College of Engineering. "They offered support in creating a proposal and PowerPoint presentation, they provided a studio designed for our online contactless presentation, and even support with filming and recording.
"With the active support that Daegu CVB provided, I was actually able to enjoy this bidding process – they contributed greatly to our efforts and for that we thank them very much."
Who to contact
Ms. Myunghee Kwon
Convention Director
[email protected]
http://eng.daegucvb.com/mice
Built with Shorthand