I'd like to make the K-beauty Concert Series an Asia's best conference.

COVID-19 has frozen the exhibition industry. Still, spring will come. Some events have held exhibitions online, and offline exhibitions are increasing little by little. "K-Beauty Expo Korea," which KINTEX hosted for the 12th time this year, has also been turned online. It was the first time. This exhibition was so hard, but they also found hope. I heard the story from Kim Chorong, a PR specialist at the KINTEX Office for overseas cooperation. She said she wanted to raise this year's first K-Beauty Concert Series to a conference representing Asia.

What did you focus most on in this online exhibition?

What did you focus most on in this online exhibition? This year, K-Beauty Expo was conducted online. It was held for six days from November 23 to 28 under the name of 'K-Beauty Week'. The "Overseas Buyer Online Video matching" and the first beauty conference brand, "K-Beauty Trend Concert Series," were prepared with the most care this year.

core and biggestThe advantage of online exhibitions is that they can expand business opportunities indefinitely regardless of space. Companies participating in K-Beauty Week were able to display various information about companies, brands, and products on online platforms without limitation. In addition, domestic and foreign buyers can check the company's product information at any time after the end of K-Beauty Week. In other words, it is a permanent exhibition hall.

In particular, it held an "online video consultation" by creating a platform where buyers and participating companies can apply for meetings and communicate by designating video consultation hours directly through its website. More than 100 buyers from 19 countries, including the United States, Australia, Brazil, Switzerland, Japan, and Russia, participated in export consultations due to the enthusiastic response from overseas buyers of our partner KOTRA. General buyers can also connect with domestic companies by registering as buyers through the website.

The "K-Beauty Trend Concert Series," was hosted for the first time in collaboration by The K-Beauty Science, introduced new topics and new faces that have not been covered in other conferences. The composition and contents have been elaborated so that not only beauty industry officials but also general audiences interested in the field can fully understand and get insights.

Are you planning to hold both online and offline exhibitions next year?

The core of the exhibition is 'Meeting'. As we switch to online exhibitions, we lack the energy created when many people gather in one space. However, it is planning to continuously supplement and upgrade 'Online Exhibition', which is the best option to choose from now on. I think businesses, buyers, and exhibition organizers are also adjusting to new platforms this year. It is meaningful because it is a process of constantly exchanging feedback with each other, learning and developing.

If the COVID-19 situation calms down, it will naturally switch to an offline exhibition. However, there is a plan to actively accept the advantages of online exhibitions and matching programs to hold them in the form of "hybrid" at an appropriate level. The final objective is to maximize the user convenience and participation performance of the participating companies and buyers.

Are you planning to strengthen the seminar program?

While preparing for the "K-Beauty Trend Concert Series," I thought it was too bad for us to keep such good contents between ourselves. KINTEX has been hosting 'K-Beauty Expo Korea' for 12 years from 2009 to this year, and has been with the growth of K-Beauty. Since 2016, it has taken K-Beauty Expo brand overseas and has been holding it there. In 2019, K-beauty was more widely introduced to six major Asian countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. It has strong networking with government agencies, associations, and MICE-related organizations in major Asian countries. Based on this partnership, I would like to supplement the contents suitable for the local situation and develop the "K-Beauty Trend Concert Series" into a conference representing Asia. First of all, it plans to start in Thailand and Vietnam in 2021.

I'm also curious about next year's K-Beauty Expo.

The K-Beauty Expo is held every year in various countries and cities, and the number of venues is increasing sequentially. Next year, K-Beauty Expo will be held in Russia. Russia's K-beauty fever is heating up. It is an area where domestic companies have a high preference for entering. In addition, the K-Beauty Expo will be held in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Taiwan, which are the strongholds of K-Beauty and Hallyu. The 13th K-Beauty Expo Korea will be held in KINTEX from October 7 to 9, 2021.