[Provided by Exco]
[Provided by Exco]

The city of Daegu and Exco held the "2026 Daegu MICE Forum and Alliance Inauguration Ceremony" on Monday at Room 325 of the Exco convention center, bringing together institutions and companies in the local MICE industry to strengthen communication and cooperation.

The event was organized to expand dialogue among regional MICE-related organizations and businesses and to build a sustainable MICE ecosystem through joint marketing efforts.

About 100 people attended, including representatives from the city of Daegu, the Korea Tourism Organization and the Korea MICE Association, as well as member companies of the MICE Alliance and other industry officials.

A plaque presentation ceremony was held to formally induct 10 new member companies into the 2026 Daegu MICE Alliance.

The newly inducted organizations and companies span several categories: a specialized facility (Raon Jena Hotel), an affiliated organization (Daegu Metropolitan Tourism Association), unique venues (Daegu Gansong Art Museum and Daegu Hyanggyo), and MICE planning and service firms — Eum MICE Research Institute, Rio Con, Moin, It Company, Kkumkkuneun Theater and Daegu Goods.

With the additions, the Daegu MICE Alliance expanded from 60 to 70 member companies, further strengthening its public-private cooperation network.

A special lecture followed, delivered by Jeon Da-hyeon, a researcher at the Consumer Trend Analysis Center and co-author of "Trend Korea 2027," on the theme of "ALPHASHEEP — Leading Change Beyond the Herd: Daegu's MICE Industry."

A brand slogan competition for Daegu MICE, decided by an on-site vote, concluded with "MICE TO MEET U, DAEGU" selected as the official representative slogan.

As a celebratory performance, Kkumkkuneun Theater — a Daegu-based social enterprise — staged "Byeoljubujeon," a traditional K-culture performance incorporating AI interpretation services and animated narration.

Lee Dong-won, chief executive of Exco, said the forum and ceremony would serve as a springboard to tighten the public-private cooperation network among local MICE stakeholders. "We will do our utmost to help Daegu emerge as the leading MICE hub in South Korea through the sharing of the latest industry trends and joint marketing," he said.


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com