Asia’s biggest tourism MICE city Busan where the heavenly nature and the cutting edge infrastructure coexist, recently announced ‘sustainable MICE city’ based on the eco-friendly, attracting the public attention.
Starting from ‘HAEVENUE’ (Haeundae International Conference Complex), the first MICE street that stretches like a picture from Suyeong Bay to Haeundae, the existing business infrastructure is combined with Busan’s unique environmental, ecological and cultural elements. It is a strategy that will make itself as sustainable global MICE destination clearly in the era of with corona.
In particular, ‘HAEVENUE’ (Haeundae International Conference Complex) is reborn as Asia’s best MICE destination where the cutting edge facilities such as Bexco, Centum city are harmonized in the heavenly nature that leads Suyeong Bay, Dongbaek Island, and Haeundae. In 2020, the government and Busan city designated 2.39 million ㎡ area of Centum~Nurimaru APEC House~Haeundae as ‘International conference complex’ in order to host the international convention and mega-level events.
MICE facilities in every corner of Busan including HAEVENUE introduced carbon neutral activity and eco-friendly management ‘global standard’ in the early stage. No wonder, an eco-friendly base is essential due to the nature that the best MICE destination in Northeast Asia where recreation, tourism, and business are possible all at once, The sustainable goal of Busan that has pursued the harmony of nature, city and MICE industry can be found everywhere in the venue, and the policy has been promoted consistently.
The eco-friendly management of accumulation facilities around HAEVENUE deserves the attention. The accommodation facilities provide eco-bags instead of plastic bag or changed the amenities into eco-friendly products. The sign paper informing it is not necessary to replace the blanket and supplies is provided to the customers who stay several days to save the energy and water, inducing the participation in the environmental preservation campaign.
Lotte Department Store leads ‘green distribution’, and Shinsegae Department Store continues ‘Paperless campaign’ that digitalizes the promotional leaflet. In particular, the accumulation facilities executives and staff have been leading the garbage collection campaign in the beach, sidewalks, and walking trails in their spare time.
BEXCO, a professional exhibition and convention facility representing Busan, recycles various wooden waste materials and signs used in the exhibition booth and stage for the next event, and produces the eco-bag using remaining banner, and provides them to the participants, taking the lead in practicing green MICE.
The interested party of Busan Tourism Organization said “HAEVENUE is inducing the eco-friendly management in various MICE infrastructures with the goal of carbon neutral” and ”In particular, it will inform the complex through the briefing session conducted for the organizer of international convention, and form the bond of sympathy of participating in ‘sustainable MICE’ at the same time“.
Activities for sustainable MICE by Busan MICE alliance members
Busan has continued the effort to settle down ‘eco-friendly, sustainable MICE’ mainly with HAEVENUE.
In particular, Busan MICE alliance(BMA) becomes the foundation of local MICE growth such as developing local MICE joint marketing by activating the networking between the academic field and the competent authorities including local MICE industry. Total 237 companies are currently registered as BMA members. Among them, the member practicing sustainable MICE is introduced.
Makerfun, an education company that produces prototype with IoT internet and 3D printer, participates in the spread of environmental campaign by incorporating the eco-friendly, renewed energy practice course in the experience activity. Makerfun recently created the virtual space that introduces the authority, organization practicing carbon neutral at Gather Town, a Metaverse platform, and arranged the eco-friendly information exchange and networking, attracting the attention.
‘Waverun, a participation type tourism contents planning company is participating in the citizen environmental movements with the unique ideas such as sculpture making challenge with recycling materials based on clean hiking and ’plogging (an activity to pick up trash while jogging) that resonated with the MZ generation recently.
The knowledge sharing platform for the sustainable city deserves attention. APEC climate symposium that has been held by APEC climate center is representative. APEC climate symposium is a global professional academic conference that maximizes the utilization of climate information and seeks the common cooperation measures. More than 100 officials and policymakers from APEC member countries, including climate scientists, climate prediction information production working staffs, and experts related to discussions, participate every year to collect the idea together.
It is held by the APEC President’s Bureau, where the APEC Summit will be held, with the support and cooperation of the relevant government, and recognized as one of major events in Asia-Pacific region climate field in many working group of APEC. The symposium prepares the venue of communication between the supplier and the user of the climate information, and they discuss various abnormal climates and climate change response in-depth including climate science and technology development with world class authority scientists.
An official from the Busan Tourism Organization said, “We will continue to support BMA’s efforts for eco-friendly and sustainable development, which encompasses MICE-related facility businesses and service businesses, and emphasized”we will not spare the administrative and financial policy and support in order to be reborn ‘global eco-friendly MICE city recognized by world people’.