Thursday, July 17, 2025
On December 29-30, the 2025 Forum to be held in Seoul with the participation by the global MICE industry seeking stronger sustainability practices as follow ups.
The 2025 Sustainable (MICE) Management Forum of the Meeting, Incentive Travel, Convention and Exhibition (MICE) industry held on July 4 in Seoul, was an important milestone in adding more sustainability into the (MICE) industry. Representatives from across south Korea’s MICE industry attended the forum to address the challenges posed by and opportunities arising from an increasing demand for sustainability within this crucial industry.
The forum invited industry leaders from international organizations and local institutions to discuss how the MICE industry can integrate with global ESG practices. Key discussion points revolved around the changing world trend in the industry, and increase in calls for responsible and sustainable tourism.
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One of the keynotes was by Randy Durband, CEO of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). He also talked about the ongoing struggles for MICE operators in terms of sustainability. Durband highlighted the lack of globally accepted standards in the industry and the need for a coordinated, global approach to their development. He singled out the GSTC MICE Standard as a crucial guideline that MICE operators could adopt to harmonise and upgrade sustainability efforts globally.
He said that sustainability in the MICE industry is more than just about a decrease in harm to environment. It also means incorporating social responsibility and governance practices into all MICE activities. Durband made an appeal to MICE buyers and suppliers as well as to MICE event host organizations to embrace the GSTC MICE Standard in order to create consistency in the way that sustainable guidelines are applied within a range of markets and facilitate more trust in the industry.
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The Introduction of MICE Company Implementing Sustainability session included a number of cases that introduced examples of organiza-tions taking on sustainability in a creative way in the industry. Jessica Choi, a Sales Consultant of MGM Resorts, presented how the company has effectively incorporated sustainability to their resorts and cultural destinations in Macau. MGM’s plan involved a sharp cut in energy use and reduction in waste generation, and serves as a model for managing an event of such scale in an environmentally sensitive manner.
Also, a Korean startup Umoh unveiled an AI-based solution targeting real times event planning and networking. This is a clever way for event planners to lower their carbon footprint by maximising logistical efficiency and also guaranteeing sustainability is a feature of organising events at each step of the way.
Transportation company Ground K also took part in the forum, outlining steps they’re taking to cut down on emissions from transporting events. They showcased event electric vehicle application and how they utilized carbon event reports to monitor and reduce the carbon footprint for transport at major events.
There were great comments from other notables in the sustainability space. Eunkyung Lee, Director of UN Global Compact, delivered a keynote speech under the theme of MICE industry’s responsibility to the SDGs. Lee highlighted how these objectives could help drive the MICE operators to re-engineer their business models and implement healthier practices worldwide.
Dr Sangyeol Lee, Executive Director of the Goyang Convention Bureau, and AP Lead of the Global Destination Sustainability Movement, presented global best practice case studies applying sustainability to the management of conventions. Dr. Lee presented a vision of the future that outlined practical measures for the MICE industry to progress towards sustainability. He spoke about how MICE operators can integrate green certification, reduce waste and adopt sustainable technology and drive this industry to be on the right track to fulfill its sustainable targets.
The forum ended with an active panel in which Professor Younghye Yoon of Dongduk Women’s University served as a moderator. The session, ‘Exploring ESG Issues in the Face of Domestic and International Political Instability’, aimed to tackle some of the acute governance issues confronting the MICE industry. Dr. Mihee Kang, GSTC Chief Assurance Officer, in discussions with other professionals questioning the inadequacy of the current legislation and the need for stronger legal framework to ensure that sustainability is fully adopted as part of the modus operandi in the South Korean MICE industry.
The experts concurred that the MICE industry should collaborate with the public and private sectors to bridge these policy voids. They emphasized the importance of better institutional backing to ensure that sustainability measures are established and sustained.’ The conversation further emphasized that, while some progress has been made, there is much work to be done to weave sustainability into the DNA of the MICE sector.
The forum was a key mechanism for bringing together civil society at the local and global levels. It ended with a fresh pledge towards delivering sustainable changes within the MICE sector. The conversations underlined the industry’s growing focus on sustainability as a critical element of future growth. Filled with forward-thinking partners from the hospitality, transportation, tech industries, the forum set the stage for a more sustainable MICE industry.
As the international thirst for sustainable w and eco-sensitive operation models keeps increasing, the likes of such this, play a critical role in empowering MICE operators with the tools, resources and structuring fundamentals for living and doing business in a green sustainable way. With such a strong appetite for change and development as an industry, the MICE sector looks set to be taking some huge steps in sustainability and adding to the global push to tackle climate change.
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