The 17th HETI International Congress (the Federation of Horses in Education & Therapy International) was held at Coex, from June 7th to 10th. This congress was not only an essential meeting place for professionals in the field of equine-assisted activities and therapies, but also a stage of the Plus Seoul safety program designed to increase the safety to the fullest. A quarantine gate provided hand sanitiser at entry for all participants attending the congress in person. Smaller and handier devices were also available, such as thermographic cameras and infrared thermometers. Bottles of hand sanitising gel were placed at every corner of the venue to help both participants and staff keep the virus at bay, and specialised disinfection of the venue itself was provided during all four days of the event.
In addition to the publicly visible measures the Plus Seoul safety program is also concerned with securing the personal well-being of event speakers and participants. The Seoul MICE Safety Care Services is a package of various insurances that supports participants with medical care, travel related issues as well as language services. The HETI secretariat registered the five speakers who entered Seoul for the 17th HETI International Congress from Russia, Finland and USA. The speaker for Symposia Session, Minna Peltonen from Finland, mentioned the safety care services package was “… useful and adds to the feeling of safety during the stay in congress.”
Another speaker for the Plenary Session, Janet Jones also spoke about her overall experience: “I enjoyed travelling to Seoul and felt the convention organisers took excellent care of me while I was there … I felt safe and comfortable during my entire stay in your city and hope to return someday.”
“The Seoul Convention Bureau is dedicated to promoting Seoul as a safe MICE destination and supporting event planners to host the events successfully under effective safety measures,” said SCB director Jihyun Kim. “The 17th HETI International Congress provided an extensive example that Seoul is also placing much weight on providing the safest environment for onsite MICE events,” she added.
