Gyeonggi Province Fosters 'Safe Exhibition Industry'...Support Up to 70 Million Won for COVID-19 Damage

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hoon Reporter] Gyeonggi Province is promoting the 'Gyeonggi Exhibition Industry Development Support Project' to provide rental fees and promotional expenses to exhibitions facing difficulties due to COVID-19.

The exhibition industry requires strategic support given its direct and indirect significant impact on other industries such as design, services, and tourism, as well as on the regional economy. However, COVID-19 has created ongoing challenges, with 233 out of 322 domestic exhibitions scheduled for last year being canceled (69.3%), and the resumption of exhibitions expected after 2022.

The project targets exhibition organizers that completed leasing contracts for exhibition halls of 2,000 square meters or more in the province in 2021. A total of 18 companies will be selected for support: 9 companies holding 'new or relocated exhibitions' with 2 years or less of history, and 9 companies holding 'promising growth exhibitions' with 3 years or more of history.

Depending on the scale of each exhibition, the province will provide rental fees, promotional expenses, exhibition information system construction costs, and setup fees ranging from 30 million won to 50 million won.

In particular, if exhibition organizers submit a certificate confirming damage from COVID-19, they will receive 10 bonus points in the document evaluation, and funding will be increased by 20 million won, with preferential support up to a maximum of 70 million won.

The province plans to recommend that selected exhibition organizers strictly comply with quarantine guidelines, including advance visitor registration, visitor checklist completion, mask wearing, and fever checks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and create safe event conditions.

A provincial official stated, "Domestic exhibitions held under thorough quarantine management will play an important role in economic recovery weakened by COVID-19" and added, "We look forward to revitalizing the depressed exhibition industry."

Exhibition organizers interested in participating should prepare necessary documents including a business plan from the 12th to the 29th and submit them by mail or in person to the Exhibition Team at the Gyeonggi Economic Science Promotion Agency (107 Gwanggyo-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon City).

For more details regarding the recruitment announcement, visit EZ-Biz (www.egbiz.or.kr) and the Gyeonggi Economic Science Promotion Agency website (www.gbsa.or.kr). For inquiries, contact the Exhibition Team at the Gyeonggi Economic Science Promotion Agency (031-259-6124).