Martial Arts, Asia's Big 3 Sports and Leisure Industry Exhibitions Resume After 3 Years

2022 Seoul International Sports Leisure Industry Expo (SPOEX)
Opening on the 17th at COEX, Samseong-dong

On the 17th, key participants cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the '2022 Seoul International Sports Leisure Industry Exhibition (SPOEX)'. From the third person on the left are Yoo Byung-chae, Director of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Koo Ja-yeol, Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association; and Park Tae-young, Executive Director of the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Sun-mi] The '2022 Seoul International Sports Leisure Industry Exhibition (SPOEX)', the largest domestic sports and leisure industry exhibition co-hosted by the Korea International Trade Association and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, opened on the 17th at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul.

As one of Asia's Big 3 sports exhibitions, SPOEX was canceled in 2020 and replaced by a fully online exhibition in 2021 due to the impact of COVID-19. However, this year, under thorough quarantine measures, it resumed as an offline exhibition for the first time in three years. The exhibition runs for four days from the 17th to the 20th.

Reflecting the rapid growth of the home training and outdoor markets amid increased interest in routine health management and immune enhancement after COVID-19, 179 companies related to health, fitness, camping, and outdoor sectors participated this year, showcasing new products across 1,079 booths.

During the two-day non-face-to-face video export consultation held for participating companies, 52 global major buyers from 10 countries participated, including QVC, Japan's 24-hour home shopping specialized broadcasting channel; MNC, a home shopping channel jointly established by Indonesia companies and GS Shop, the number one home shopping company in Korea; and Highwave Sports, which operates over 1,200 sports goods stores in China.

Meanwhile, as a special event of this exhibition, the 'World Heritage Bicycle Special Exhibition', which allows visitors to see the evolution of bicycles from the 1800s to the present day at a glance, was held simultaneously, attracting visitors' attention. The special exhibition displays 22 historically valuable bicycles, including the world's first steerable bicycle, the 'Karl Drais Draisine' (1817), and the world's first pedal-attached bicycle, the 'Velocipede' (1867).

Kim Hyun-chul, Head of the Global Cooperation Division at the Korea International Trade Association, said, “As the world is preparing for the post-COVID era with the lifting of quarantine regulations mainly in Europe and the United States, demand for the sports leisure industry is expected to increase further this year.” He added, “Even after the exhibition ends, we will continue to support related companies in exploring overseas markets through operating the SPOEX online exhibition hall and holding video export consultations.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.