GOYANG, South Korea — Goyang City has appointed GainingEdge executives Gary Grimmer and Thomas Reiser as Global MICE Ambassadors, strengthening the South Korean city’s international advisory network as it seeks to build its position in the global business events market.

The appointments were announced on 27 August during Goyang Destination Week 2026, held from 26 to 29 August in Goyang. The annual event brings together international destination and business events specialists to discuss MICE destination competitiveness, industry development and the wider impact of business events.

Grimmer, Executive Chairman of GainingEdge, and Reiser were appointed as part of Goyang City’s efforts to draw on international MICE expertise and networks to support its global positioning and international collaboration.

Their GainingEdge colleague Jane Vong Holmes also participated in Destination Week as a panellist.

Beyond the ambassador appointments, the event placed particular emphasis on how destinations measure the value created by business events.

In a keynote address, Grimmer presented what he described as the “Big Arrow” strategy, challenging the industry’s traditional emphasis on visitor numbers and visitor expenditure as primary measures of event value.

Instead, he argued for a broader assessment of business events based on their ability to expand knowledge networks and contribute to longer-term economic and societal transformation.

The approach reflects a growing debate within the international meetings industry over how destinations demonstrate the value of hosting congresses, conferences and other business events beyond delegate expenditure, hotel room nights and immediate tourism receipts.

Under such an approach, the legacy of a business event could also be assessed through outcomes such as knowledge exchange, stronger professional and research networks, new collaborations and the contribution an event makes to wider industry or policy objectives.

For Goyang, the appointment of international MICE ambassadors alongside these discussions signals an effort to connect destination promotion with longer-term destination development and international industry engagement.

The appointments also give Grimmer and Reiser a formal role through which their international experience and networks can contribute to Goyang’s ambitions as a business events destination.

Goyang Destination Week 2026 concluded on 29 August.

More Information

Organiser: Goyang CVB
Event: Goyang Destination Week 2026
Date: 26 – 29 August 2026, Wednesday – Saturday
Venue: Goyang Flower Exhibition Centre, South Korea
Website: https://www.goyangdestinationweek.com/event/GDW2026/Home
GainEdge Appointed: https://gainingedge.com/ge-event/goyang-destination-week-2026/