Fu Bingbing

COEX has provided a global exchange platform where people and businesses come together through exhibitions and conferences ever since its establishment in 1986. Moreover， COEX was the first Korean organization to obtain UFI certificate from the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry in 2020 after demonstrating its ability to host world-class exhibitions. As the Koreas leading exhibition organizer， COEX organizes 30 exhibitions annually， and hosts over 200 exhibitions every year.

On this edition of our Interview Column， weve had the great chance to interview with Dong Ki Lee， CEO&president of Coex， Korea， to share his insights into the upcoming development and operation dynamics of the venue in the post-pandemic era.

The Venue Fully Booked

“Looking back， as the world begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic， the exhibition industry is proving its resilience and COEX is leading the way. In fact， the exhibition calendar has been fully booked since last year when speaking of the entire years event schedules， a clear indication of the industrys complete recovery. Looking ahead， this year， COEX is set to feature over 200 exhibitions representing a diverse range of industries， including advanced technologies， culture， and lifestyle.” Dong Ki Lee shares with the reporter.

When refers to the most highlighted exhibitions of the year， Dong Ki Lee states， the first one that comes to mind is the Smart Factory+Automation World， which was successfully held from March 8th to March 10th. As a leading international exhibition held at COEX， this event is the most prominent business platform in the field of innovative manufacturing in Asia， both in terms of scale and composition. Various cutting-edge technologies that accelerate the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry was introduced at this exhibition.

Exhibitions with Tight Schedules

Next， Dong Ki Lee mentions that there is the INTERBATTERY. This event was concluded from March 15th to 17th， is a representative event where Korean energy and battery companies， which lead the global battery market， all participate. It was held in conjunction with EV TREND KOREA， a major electric vehicle exhibition， and has recently grown rapidly in line with the growth of the electric vehicle market， becoming the largest battery exhibition in Asia. Thanks to the success of the exhibition in the Asian market， the organizers have decided to expand to Europe， and the first INTERBATTERY EUROPE will be held at the Munich exhibition center from June 14th to 16th.

In addition， KIAF （Korea International Art Fair）， which will be held for four days from September 7th to 10th， has been proving the growth of Korea and Asias art markets since last year in collaboration with FRIEZE， the worlds largest art fair. The first event was a huge success， surprising the international art industry. Especially during the art fair， various cultural events were held throughout Seoul， providing visitors from overseas and local residents with many things to see and do.

In November， again， Koreas largest food industry exhibition， Food Week， is scheduled to be held. Since last year， Food Week has transformed into the Food Industry Technology Show， presenting a vision for the future of the food industry.

Digitalization of Events

Dong Ki Lee points out that during the Covid-19 pandemic， the travel， accommodation， and business event industries all faced significant difficulties. In Korea， many companies adopted new methods such as telecommuting， and the exhibition industry was greatly affected by the governments gathering restrictions. New methods such as video conferencing and online exhibitions were also introduced as new ways for companies to engage in marketing activities. COEX has successfully supported the hosting of online business events utilizing digital technology， and established a studio capable of professional broadcasting through the remodeling of its existing facilities during the pandemic.

“The digital transformation of businesses is an area that all industries are interested in and pursuing. COEX is pursuing collaborations with various startups through open innovation and is making continuous efforts to present a new vision for the global exhibition industry by incorporating new technologies such as AI and big data.” Dong Ki Lee comments.

The Green in Action

When it comes to the biggest challenge as for the venue this year， the entire situation of the industry and its development trends， Dong Ki Lee thinks that the global energy crisis and climate change will be the biggest challenge facing the international community. In particular， I understand that many exhibition companies in Europe are joining the pledge for netzero practices. I believe that venues can play the most important role in these carbon reduction efforts and lead the way for change.

“At Coex， we support eco-friendly event design by providing event fixtures made of environmentally friendly materials that can be 100% recycled and supporting innovative ways to produce events. We also spare no effort in introducing and investing in innovative technologies to utilize renewable energy for building operation.” Dong Ki Lee adds.