Hallym University Successfully Concludes "2024 WACP Forum"... First Empirical Application of Town MICE Based on Local Commercial Districts

Hallym University MICE Planning and Management Achieves First Successful Demonstration of "Town MICE"
"Urban Regeneration-MICE Convergence": Effectiveness of Town MICE Proven at Hallym University WACP Forum

The MICE Planning and Management Major at Hallym University (President Choi Yanghee) successfully held the "We Are Chance Producers Forum (WACP Forum)" on November 20 around the Chuncheon Bunge Market area.

Hallym University’s MICE Planning and Management Major successfully held the "We Are Chance Producers Forum (WACP Forum)" on the 20th around Chuncheon Bunge Market area. Photo by Hallym University

Now in its fourth year, this forum was co-organized with Puzzle Lab Inc., which is currently implementing the Chuncheon Neighborhood Commercial District Development Project. Under the theme "A Forum of Planners Who Leave Stylish Records," the event experimentally applied a new MICE model based on local commercial districts, called "Town MICE." Notably, the forum was significant in that it directly verified, on-site, the potential for convergence between urban regeneration, local content, and the MICE industry within the original downtown commercial district.

The core keyword of this forum, "Record," presented a new local content model by reinterpreting the long-standing experiences and stories of local residents and merchants as event content. Participants experienced programs set across various spaces within Bunge Market, encountering a MICE approach that records the history, identity, and narrative of the commercial district-going beyond just "sales spaces."

The forum featured sessions on △ the concept and strategies of the Town MICE model, △ case studies of collaboration among commercial districts, universities, and local residents, and △ introductions to local tours and reward programs.

In particular, market-based local tour programs, citizen participation mission events, and merchant interview record exhibitions-planned and operated directly by Hallym University MICE Planning and Management students-received enthusiastic responses. Event participants explored every corner of the market, newly discovering hidden stories and content within the local commercial district.

Professor Yoon Eunju of Hallym University's MICE Planning and Management Major stated, "This WACP Forum is the first empirical case of the Town MICE model based on the identity and spatial narrative of the original downtown commercial district." She added, "It served not only as a student-led, hands-on event, but also as an opportunity to confirm the effectiveness of the Town MICE model in various aspects, including revitalizing local commercial districts, promoting local tourism, and establishing structures for collaboration between commercial districts and universities."

This forum was the first experimental implementation of a cooperation model among university, local government, and community organizations as part of Hallym University's RISE project. As the RISE project expands university participation in solving local issues, it has enabled local-based MICE experiments connecting students, merchants, local governments, and intermediary support organizations. These field experiments are expected to serve as foundational research for building the "Hwacheon Town MICE" model in the future.

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