Coex
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersKangnam, South Korea
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Coex firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Coex
- Legal name
- Coex
- Website
- https://coexcenter.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Coex industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Convention & Exhibition Venue Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers) (THAHAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Conference Centers & Dedicated Meeting Venues (THAHAAAB), Exhibitions, Trade Shows & Booth Management (HSACADAH), General Consumer Expos & Trade Shows (MPAGAFAA), Hotel & Resort Convention Venues (Convention Hotels) (THAHAAAC), Convention Center–Adjacent/Connected Hotels (THAGALAD)
Keywords
Where Coex is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kangnam
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices5 records
Markets served
Coex business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Venue Rental and Lease: Primary revenue from leasing exhibition halls, meeting rooms, and event spaces to organizers. Payment structure includes 10% deposit for reservation, 40% middle payment 3 months prior, and balance 7 days before event.
- Exhibition Organization: Coex organizes over 25 exhibitions annually in Korea and abroad including China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, generating revenue from booth sales, visitor fees, and sponsorship.
- External Venue Management: Professional management services for external convention centers including Changwon Exhibition and Convention Centre (CECO) in Gyeongnam province and World Trade Centre Binh Duong New City Expo in Vietnam with Becamex IDC.
- Event Services: AV equipment, staging, catering, live streaming, furniture rental, and digital branding services provided to event organizers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Meeting Room Leasing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Coex product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Coex operates Korea's leading convention and exhibition center in Seoul's Gangnam district, providing venue rental for exhibitions, conferences, meetings, and large-scale events across 36,007 sqm of exhibition space and 100 meeting rooms. The company also organizes over 25 exhibitions annually in Korea, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, and provides professional venue management services for external convention centers including CECO in Korea and WTC Binh Duong New City Expo in Vietnam. Supporting services include AV equipment, live streaming (Coex Live), catering, modular backdrop systems, and hybrid event planning through studio159 broadcasting studio.
Product overview
Coex is Korea's premier convention and exhibition center offering a comprehensive MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) platform. The core offering centers on the COEX Convention Center in Seoul's Gangnam district, complemented by the newly opened Coex Magok Lewest venue. The portfolio includes venue services (XPACE digital signage, AV-Drop modular backdrops, Coex Live streaming, hybrid event planning, catering, and furniture rental), managed external venues, and organized exhibitions such as Food Week Korea, Coffee Expo Seoul, Seoul International Book Fair, Character Licensing Fair, and Kiaf Seoul art fair. The company positions itself as a full-service events partner with both physical venues and supporting services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Coex Magok: MICE venue located in Gangseo-gu district, Seoul, featuring exhibition halls and meeting facilities.
- Coex Magok Lewest
- The Platz
- studio159
- Xpace
- AV-Drop
- VOMO Smart
- Good Plan
- Green Coex
- Coex Urban Park (CUP)
- Coex Live
Products and services
- COEX Convention Center
- Coex Magok Lewest
- The Platz
- studio159 Broadcasting Studio
- XPACE Digital Signage & Branding
- AV-Drop Modular Backdrop System
- Coex Live Streaming
- Hybrid Event Planning
- External Venue Management
- Food Week Korea
- Seoul International Book Fair
- Kiaf Seoul & Frieze Seoul
- Catering Service
Quantifiable outcome
- 35 million visitors annually with average 100,000 daily visitors
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Coex
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Coex technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Coex partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- INCONcoreMemorandum of understanding with INCON, a global partnership network of professional conference organizers with offices in 70 countries that oversees roughly 11,000 MICE events annually. Partnership scheduled to be signed during IMEX Frankfurt 2026 as part of Seoul's push to attract international events.
- Korean Publishers Association (KPA)majorCo-organizer of Seoul International Book Fair 2025, held in Coex Halls A and B1. Joint collaboration for Korea's biggest book-related exhibit.
- Seoul Tourism Organization (STO)coreMOU signed to build sustainable MICE environment and promote smart green MICE industry. Cooperation on environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) management initiatives.
- World Trade Center Binh Duong New CitymajorVietnam's second-largest convention center with 22,000㎡ total space. Coex provides professional management services under 3-year contract until 2024.
- ReedPOPmajorOrganizer of Comic Con Seoul, held at Coex. World-renowned brand showcasing comics, movies, video games, cosplay, and anime.
- Korea International Trade Association (KITA)coreParent organization since 1988. Coex is part of the World Trade Center Seoul complex operated by KITA. KITA and Coex jointly operate WTC Binh Duong New City Expo in Vietnam.
- Becamex IDCmajorVietnam's investment and development corporation partnered with KITA and Coex to operate World Trade Center Binh Duong New City Expo. Coex advised on facility design in 2019.
- Coex MICE Cluster (13 businesses)majorCooperation between 13 businesses at World Trade Center Site Seoul including hotels, tourist attractions, transportation, entertainment, and shopping facilities. Provides bundled services for business travelers and event planners.
- Changwon Exhibition and Convention Centre (CECO)minorCoex manages CECO in Gyeongnam province, demonstrating expertise in venue management and exhibition industry promotion.
- Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI)coreCoex is the first Korean organization to obtain UFI certification (2020), demonstrating world-class exhibition hosting capabilities.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Coex competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Informa Markets: Global exhibition organizer with a vast portfolio of B2B trade shows; comparable to Coex's self-organized exhibitions (Food Week Korea, Coffee Expo Seoul, Korea Hotel Show) and a potential partner/competitor for organizer relationships.
- Messe Frankfurt: Global exhibition organizer and venue operator; competes with Coex's self-organized exhibitions and attends Coex as both a venue customer and competitor for trade shows across consumer and industrial verticals.
Direct peers
- Singapore EXPO: Singapore's largest convention and exhibition venue and a leading Asia-Pacific MICE competitor; targets the same international association and trade-show organizers Coex is courting.
- KINTEX (Korea International Exhibition & Convention Center): Korea's other flagship exhibition and convention complex located in Goyang, directly competing with Coex for both domestic Korean exhibitions and international association congresses targeting Seoul/Gyeonggi catchment.
- Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center: Taipei's flagship convention and exhibition facility; comparable scale and profile, competing for North Asia-hosted international exhibitions and trade shows.
- Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center): Japan's largest convention facility and a major Asia-Pacific MICE competitor; competes with Coex for international congresses and high-profile trade exhibitions across the region.
- BITEC (Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre): Bangkok's primary exhibition and convention venue and Southeast Asia MICE hub; competes with Coex for regional association congresses and exhibitions, especially those with ASEAN exposure.
- Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC): Hong Kong's flagship waterfront convention venue; competes for Asia-headquartered international association events and large trade shows targeting NE Asia audiences.
- BEXCO (Busan Exhibition & Convention Center): Busan's main MICE venue and the second-largest in Korea; competes for domestic exhibitions and is an alternative for organizers seeking a regional Korean city versus Seoul.
Regional players
- ICC Sydney (International Convention Centre Sydney): Australia's leading integrated convention, exhibition, and entertainment venue; comparable in scale and integrated-mixed-use positioning to Coex, though geographically focused on the Australasia market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Coex social profiles
Digital presenceCoex compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Coex financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Coex leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Coex subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Coex funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Coex M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Coex
What does Coex do?
Coex operates Korea's leading convention and exhibition center in Seoul's Gangnam district, providing venue rental for exhibitions, conferences, meetings, and large-scale events across 36,007 sqm of exhibition space and 100 meeting rooms. The company also organizes over 25 exhibitions annually in Korea, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, and provides professional venue management services for external convention centers including CECO in Korea and WTC Binh Duong New City Expo in Vietnam. Supporting services include AV equipment, live streaming (Coex Live), catering, modular backdrop systems, and hybrid event planning through studio159 broadcasting studio.
Is Coex a public or private company?
Coex is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Coex founded?
Coex was founded in 1979. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Coex based?
Coex is headquartered in Kangnam, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does Coex make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Venue Rental and Lease is the primary driver. The others are exhibition Organization, external Venue Management and event Services.
Who are Coex's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Informa Markets and Messe Frankfurt. Direct peers are Singapore EXPO, KINTEX (Korea International Exhibition & Convention Center), Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo International Exhibition Center), BITEC (Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre), Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) and BEXCO (Busan Exhibition & Convention Center). ICC Sydney (International Convention Centre Sydney) is listed as a regional player.
Does Coex have an API?
No public API is recorded for Coex.
What industry is Coex in?
Coex's product category is Convention & Exhibition Venue Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAAAA, Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers), with a secondary code of THAHAAAB, Conference Centers & Dedicated Meeting Venues. Its NAICS code is 56192 and its SIC code is 7990.