Martial Arts, Supporting SMEs' Overseas Expansion Linked to K-Pop Concert in London

B2B Buyer Consultations and Promotional Event for Concert Attendees Held

The Korea International Trade Association held the 'London Hallyu Town' event on the 7th (local time) in London, UK. On this day, a business-to-business (B2B) export consultation meeting was taking place at the London St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Sun-mi] The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) held the domestic excellent small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) Hallyu Expo, "London Hallyu Town," in London, UK, from the 7th to the 10th (local time).

On the 10th, KITA announced that, in collaboration with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, MBC, and the Foundation for Cooperation between Large, Medium, Small Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries, it conducted a business-to-business (B2B) export consultation meeting, a "Hallyu Pop Fest Concert," and a business-to-consumer (B2C) promotional event targeting local consumers for domestic SMEs.

At the B2B consultation held at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London, 50 buyers from the UK and various parts of Europe participated and conducted 148 export consultations online and offline with 29 domestic companies. To increase the success rate of export contracts, the association invited buyers who showed strong interest in the products to the concert and promotional event held two days later, providing an additional opportunity to directly observe local consumer reactions.

From the 9th to the 10th, at the B2C promotional event held at the OVO Arena Wembley in London, 32 domestic companies in cosmetics, daily necessities, healthcare, and other categories participated both online and offline, offering product experiences and on-site sales to approximately 16,000 attendees of the Hallyu Pop Fest Concert. Among them, four companies received support from the International Cultural Exchange Promotion Agency's "Hallyu-linked Collaborative Content Planning and Development Support Project," with K-pop artists participating from product planning and development stages. Additionally, singers who performed at the concert visited the venue to introduce and promote the participating companies' products directly.

For products that were difficult to sell on-site due to licensing issues, the association encouraged purchases through Kmall24, a B2C direct overseas shopping mall operated by KITA. Even after the event ended, sales support continues by establishing a "London Hallyu Town Online Special Pavilion" within Kmall24 for two weeks and providing shipping discount coupons.

Kim Hyun-chul, head of KITA's Global Cooperation Division, stated, "This event was the first K-pop concert-linked event held in London since the pandemic, providing a great opportunity to connect the global fandom of domestic artists with export marketing for our companies." He added, "Similar events are being planned this year in Sydney, Australia, and Tokyo, Japan, and we will actively pursue various marketing projects to ensure the world's high interest in Korean culture leads to overseas expansion of our companies."

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