What makes KINTEX be a successful exhibition center? - IAEE

Executive Summary
This case study shows how KINTEX has achieved its success through marketing activities just for 3 years after its opening.
Traditionally 4p (product, pricing, place and promotion) was regarded as useful tactics for implementing marketing activities.
However, 4p was very limited to short-term based marketing strategies and also it is not focused on customer’s value but
provider’s products and services. Therefore, this case study used Dr. Kumar’s 3 Values management model. Dr. Kumar, a
marketing professor of London Business School, proposed that marketing should be on CEO’s top agenda. So marketing
should focus on strategic segment, providing solution, market-driving, and corporate marketing. This could be achievable
through developing 3 Values – Valued Customers, Value Proposition and Value Network. So the KINTEX case is based on
Dr. Kumar’s 3Vs model.
1. Valued Customer – Who to serve?
Big 7 show organizers
KINTEX did not target every customer because KINTEX knew that it needs different segmentation based on valued
customers. KINTEX targeted exhibitions over 20,000m 2 and discussed with key organizers- Korea Machinery Fair, Korea
Electronics Show, Seoul Food Show, Seoul Motor Show, Seoul International Machine Tool Show, Kyunghyang Housing Fair
and G-Star Game Show.
Governments
KINTEX was invested by 3 national and local Korean governments – KOTRA (Korea Trade & Promotion Agency),
Gyeonggi province and Goyang city. So these 3 investors are stakeholders and customers as well. KOTRA wants KINTEX to
develop international exhibitions also KINTEX needs KOTRA to attract more overseas buyers and investors to tradeshows.
Gyeonggi province is the biggest local government in Korea so it needs to attract many firms to its area, which let tradeshows
and conference be more important. Goyang city provided its land space to KINTEX because it needs international exhibition
center for positioning one of global cities worldwide.
2. Value Proposition – What to offer?
Co-location of similar-purposed exhibitions
The offerings to target customer reveals differences between other competitors. KINTEX could co-locate similar purposed
exhibitions and also gather related exhibitions and conventions for making synergy effects. For example, KINTEX used
co-locating marketing policies for attracting the Seoul Food Show. KINTEX recognized that foods should be related with
packaging technology for saving and selling in markets. Therefore, KINTEX proposed the co-locating exhibition to Food
show organizer and packaging show organizer altogether. The show was great success and it suggested new paradigm of food
and packaging industry.
CMS – Customer Management System
KINTEX created CS (Customer Service) team in 2005. CS management was a new activity that other exhibition centers
never offered to customers. KINTEX received the award from Korea Management Association in 2007 through the activities.