Q. Can you tell us about your organisation?
A. Kinexin is a globally experienced venue organizing, business development, consulting and tradeshow/convention organizing company comprised of professionals from both India and Korea.
Q. You have been visiting Delhi due to the ongoing construction at IICC. How did you like the Capital?
A. IICC is a long held, India’s national project to make the nation’s signature venue next to the IGI airport in Dwarka, New Delhi. India is known for its rich culture and nature. So far I’ve been to the Red Fort, Lodi Garden, Taj Mahal, National Museum & Kingdom of Dreams. I have also visited a few clubs, Indian Asian fusion restaurants and aero-city hotels; the whole tour has been quite nice.
Q. Can you tell us about your experience in the industry?
A. I have managed the entire Convention Marketing, Catering (JV with Hanhwa group) business department, International affairs and Business Development department, and also New Delhi venue operating team. And Kintex & our Joint Venture partner for this IICC project, have appointed me as the CEO of Kinexin Convention Management Pvt. Ltd. – which is a SPC formed under Indian law, based upon the requirement of RFP of this project. I am also one of the board members of Kinexin. My venue business development experience includes – but isn’t limited to – producing and launching new international tradeshows and conventions, M&A of related businesses, equity participation in promising businesses or even lots of non equity business development. I am also widely networked with global organizers and all the big venues in Japan, China, US, Thailand, Germany, UK, Dubai amongst others. I wrote an exhibition planning book for the first time in Korea with Kintex colleagues years ago, occasionally lectured in many of Korea’s top universities, conglomerates, government agencies, tourism organizations, welcoming MICE industries. I’ve conducted numerous successful JV tradeshows and conventions including K Shop, Inside 3D Printing, Inside Bitcoin, K-Drone, Coding the Future conference, Korea Christmas Fair, K Baby fair, Gift show and others. All of my shows have made good profits, right from the first year. I also persuaded the regional government to reflect a special annual budget for the senior internship program that I had initiated and developed with my former immediate boss who is now EXCO, President and the current Kintex President. Now into design consulting period; venue operability, pre-marketing and business development consulting to IICC and the related India government
Q. Can you tell us about the ownership of Kintex and e-Sang?
A. Kintex is owned by Korean government, E-Sang Networks is a publicly traded company listed in KOSTAQ, Korea.
Q. Will you be staying in India to manage the work at IICC?
A. Now too busy to constantly reside in India as there are numerous things that we need to bring from Korea and Kintex during the design consulting period before CoD. So the management needs to move in and out of the country, however, we’re hiring more and more Indian workers. Now we have Indian marketers, HR and finance personnel and we will keep hiring. The jobs shall be posted in India exhibition magazines or the official website once completed soon. For technical business purposes, we are now looking for officially certified structural engineers from India.
Q. What is the USP of IICC going to be?
A. The venue shall provide professional but client-friendly MICE business environment just like we have well done over the years in Korea. PEOs and PCOs, corporate or government event organizers, marketing companies shall feel excited to work with myself and my people.
Q. Can you tell us about the Board members of Kinexin?
A. Kinexin Chairman who is my boss is CY Lim. Former Gyeonggi, Provincial Governor, Former Minister of Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce and others of Korea. When he was young, he served as Korea’s first Executive Director of IMF, World Bank and many more. Maybe he has the most surprising career history amongst all current venue Presidents in the world. Having him as our chairman is a big merit to the company as well as the government. Chairman Lim is the current Kintex President, and he is the chair of the board of thisIndia company. Wonpyo Cho is our JV partner who is also on board. Mr. Cho is the current E-Sang Networks President and CEO, who is expanding numerous new exhibition businesses and aggressively doing exhibition M&A activities in Korea. KY Housing is one such example.
Q. What are your upcoming plans?
A. We are considering to have a professional catering company to operate day to day catering events of all types. We are also looking for a reliable property management company who can partner with us in F&B store management business in IICC venue. They shall hire F&B stores and manage upon good industry condition.
