Starting point of the place
KINTEX may seem like a huge building where people gather only when there are events, but it is a long-term project that has changed land use and transportation demand in the west of Goyang. According to official data, the operating corporation was established in 2002 with investments from Gyeonggi Province, Goyang City, and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, and the first exhibition hall opened in 2005. Afterwards, a second exhibition hall and surrounding lodging and commercial facilities were added. Behind the name of the International Exhibition Center are the local government's development strategy and the national exhibition industry policy.
Landscape changed by time
The exhibition hall is not an empty box. Exhibition halls 1 and 2 have halls of different sizes and floor loads, and are equipped with a conference room, loading dock, and organizer's office space. Before the industrial exhibition opens, booth design, cargo loading, electricity and communication installation, safety inspection, and cleaning follow. Installation and demolition labor may take longer than the time visitors stay. If we only talk about the economic effects of fancy events, the transportation, facilities, security, and service labor that drives the exhibition industry disappears.
People and issues in the story
After KINTEX was built, hotels, commercial facilities, broadcasting and cultural facilities, and high-rise residential development continued around the area. Although it cannot be concluded that one facility made all the difference, it is clear that the infrastructure to accommodate exhibition visitors and corporate events has become an important axis of development on the city's west side. At the same time, traffic congestion on large event days, differences in floating population on pilot days, and changes in land prices during the development process must also be considered. It is a neighborhood where the density of the streets varies greatly depending on the event calendar.
What travelers will read on the spot
At the site, it is worth noting to only photograph the front of the exhibition hall, but also check the unloading vehicle access road, the distance between the first and second exhibition halls, and the actual time taken from nearby stations and bus stops. Facility information and transportation vary depending on the entrance/exit for each event, so priority should be given to the organizer's announcement on the day. The key to reading KINTEX is not bragging about the size of the building. The goal is to see how the flow of exhibits arriving, booths being set up, and visitors dispersing is connected to surrounding accommodation, commerce, and transportation.
How to check data
To determine KINTEX's regional effect, it is better to compare public transportation, lodging prices, and nearby store operations on the event day and the flight date rather than a single large number such as annual visitors. Since economic effect figures vary depending on the research agency and scope of inclusion, the formula and base year must be disclosed when citing expressions such as production inducement amount. The exhibition hall expansion plan is also marked as a plan before completion. The basic principle of avoiding exaggeration is not to express the current size by combining the area already in operation and the area to be added in the future. The conclusion of this article is limited to the scope confirmed by field observations and two official data, and should be revised if operation and research results change in the future.