Jeju is pulling out all the stops to enable the safe return of business events, while keeping in touch with Chinese buyers through social media.
The island of Jeju has found a strong pillar of support in its local CVB, which has kept busy with transformational tools, subsidy schemes and venue campaigns to promote the safe and effective return of hybrid events to the destination.
For instance, Jeju CVB introduced a slate of support programmes to strengthen businesses in its ecosystem, enabling them to establish digital foundations such as a company cloud drive, a wireless office network and hybrid meeting technology applications. As further backing for the rise of hybrid events, it has also widened the scope of its special support programmes to include streaming technology, online platforms and digital content for meetings and exhibitions.
“In the new-normal era, hybrid meetings and virtual events are growing so fast. (Accompanying) this change, local providers in the Jeju MICE Alliance need to be prepared for the digital working environment and renovate their marketing tools to catch up with new trends,” said Changdeog Ko, secretary general, Jeju CVB.
He added: “(The support schemes have) helped them to be ready for the non-contact business market. To prepare local exhibition providers – such as PCOs and PEOs – for meeting technology, we plan to provide educational learning programmes and marketing skills in virtual events.”
For in-person events, organisers must now consult the Jeju MICE Event Prevention Guide released early last year. Local providers have also been participating in regular meetings with Jeju CVB to receive updated prevention measures and guidelines for each industry.
Ko shared: “This year, we are running a prevention support programme for meetings. All delegates of meetings of more than 100 pax are given personal hand sanitiser, and we provide an exclusive shuttle bus to minimise contact between delegates and the Jeju locals. Lastly, we sterilise meeting rooms before, during and after the event.”
With robust measures and support in place, Jeju has remained confident in promoting notable venues in its ecosystem. Last year, its CVB spotlighted eight sustainable activities ranging from teambuildings to tours. These are designed for small groups of 30 attendees, and to last for three to four hours.
It has also handpicked 13 unique venues – such as Camellia Hill, Jeju Folk Museum and Jeju Hwanswang Forest Park – to award a maintenance fund with professional consulting in preparation for in-person events. These venues are now “well-prepared to hold various types of events, from exclusive incentive groups to large meetings, which will be expected to be held in Jeju this year”, expressed Ko.
Infrastructure on the island has continued to evolve, with the emergence of more hotels that promise a fully kitted-out meeting experience. In December 2020, Grand Hyatt opened its largest Asia-Pacific property 10 minutes from Jeju International Airport, offering 1,600 rooms and suites, eight residential-style meeting spaces and 14 restaurants and bars. This year, Grand Josun Jeju opened its doors in January, and is a refreshing offering for groups hankering for a luxury resort experience.
To push its latest offerings out to the Chinese market, Jeju CVB has clocked its attendance at virtual events, such as IT&CM China and IT&CM Asia, while rolling out promotional materials and updated information through its tourism offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang and Taiwan. This comes on top of regular Zoom conferences sharing the latest insights about the Chinese market and discussion of sales strategies. From the beginning of June, the CVB also plans to upload MICE content targeting the Chinese market on its social media channels.
