The keywords for 2017 were set as 'Fourth Industrial Revolution', 'Support for SME and Venture Growth', and 'Job Creation'.
With large-scale participation from global convergence companies, export and recruitment consultation events have also been expanded.

Korea Electronics Show (KES2017), the country's largest IT electronics event, has unveiled its exhibition keywords ahead of its opening on October 17.

The keywords presented by the organizers of this year's Korea Electronics Show are the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution,' 'support for the growth of SMEs and ventures,' and 'job creation.' The organizers plan to have global convergence companies participate to spread hyper-intelligent and hyper-connected technologies (AI, IoT, 5G, etc.) that promote the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and to present future strategies that lead new industries.

Key Point to Watch 1. Future strategies of global convergence companies such as Mercedes-Benz and Intel

Notably, Mercedes-Benz is participating in the Korea Electronics Show for the first time at the level of its German headquarters to showcase mobile platform technology combining entertainment, mechatronics, and artificial intelligence (AI), while presenting a vision of a future global enterprise based on the convergence of diverse technologies and fields through a keynote speech.

In addition, the 'Automotive Convergence Alliance,' launched to strengthen the competitiveness of the future automotive industry, will participate by forming a platform to promote the convergence of key automotive industries and IT/SW, and 'Power Plaza,' a leading domestic electric vehicle specialist, is also scheduled to showcase its latest electric vehicle.

Mercedes-Benz plans to participate in this year's Korea Electronics Show for the first time at the level of its German headquarters to showcase its vision of the future as a global enterprise driven by the convergence of diverse technologies and fields. (See the Korea Electronics Show website for photos.)

For the first time at the Korea Electronics Show, Intel will also have President Kwon Myung-sook, Vice President of the Sales & Marketing Group at headquarters and Representative of Intel Korea, take the stage to share Intel's vision of leading the Fourth Industrial Revolution and new growth fields such as 5G, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, and cloud.

Key Point 2. SMEs Meet Over 70 Genuine Buyers from 28 Countries Worldwide

In line with the new government's policy direction, various events to support the innovative growth of SMEs and ventures have also been organized. During the exhibition, an export strategy consultation meeting with invited global genuine buyers will be held. By selecting over 70 genuine buyers from 28 countries worldwide and conducting one-on-one customized export strategy consultations with domestic participating companies, export support for small and medium-sized enterprises and middle-sized enterprises will be strengthened and innovative growth will be supported.

In addition, in China, the number one country for domestic ICT industry exports and imports, purchasing managers from 'Global Home Shopping' (ranked 3rd in the Chinese home shopping industry), a TV home shopping channel under the state-run broadcaster CRI with sales of $470 million in 2016, as well as 'CNR Home Shopping' (ranked 5th) and 'JiaYou Home Shopping Group' (ranked 9th), and the world's number one white goods brand 'Haier' and 'Hisense' (ranked 3rd in global TV market share), are visiting the Korea Electronics Show to secure new business partners.

In addition, global buyers with purchasing power who wish to cooperate with excellent domestic exhibitors have confirmed their visit to the Korea Electronics Show earlier than ever before, including 'TTC Trade and Consulting GmhH,' a German IT product supplier with an annual transaction volume of $120 million with domestic companies such as SK Hynix and Samsung; 'NEO Group,' a large Russian retail group with a transaction volume of $30 million with domestic companies; 'Sprint,' the fourth-largest telecommunications company in the US; 'Al Arab Group Enterprises' from Qatar, which provides telecommunications service equipment and carries out national-level projects in the Middle East; as well as 'Professtama Development Group' from Indonesia, which is already actively trading with domestic small and medium-sized enterprises, and 'BusineeLink Electronics' from the UAE.

For the first time at the Korea Electronics Show, in collaboration with the Venture Capital Association, startup investment firms and We will take the lead in building a venture ecosystem where mutual win-win can be achieved through investment linkages, by holding one-on-one 'investment attraction consultations' between about 20 VCs and promising small and medium-sized venture companies to discover promising ICT companies and support their accelerated growth.

Key Point 3. Practical, customized job support through demand-oriented recruitment marketing

In particular, the exhibition organizers are also realizing 'job creation' through this event. In collaboration with the Seoul Business Agency, they are hosting a 'customized recruitment consultation session' during the Korea Electronics Show to discover top talent that meets corporate demands and to create efficient, high-quality jobs.

Through demand-oriented recruitment marketing, such as field experiences for young job seekers, we plan to derive mutually beneficial recruitment outcomes based on mutual understanding and trust between companies and young job seekers, and strengthen practical, customized job support for participating companies along with the benefits of the Seoul Business Agency's recruitment support programs.

Meanwhile, the 48th Korea Electronics Show will be held at COEX in Seoul from October 17 (Tue) to 20 (Fri), 2017, with approximately 500 domestic and international companies participating. It is expected to attract around 70,000 industry professionals with a wider variety of convergence products and abundant attractions than ever before, establishing itself as a platform for promoting convergence not only between electronics and IT but also between other industries.